Investigating the long-term use of exergames in the home with elderly fallers

Abstract

Rehabilitation has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of falling in older adults. However, low adherence to rehabilitation exercises in the home means that seniors often do not get the therapy that they require. We propose that the use of tailored exergames could encourage adherence to falls rehabilitation in the home, as exergames have proved successful in clinical settings. We describe the results from the first known study to investigate the long-term (12 weeks) use of exergames, designed in close collaboration with elderly users, for falls rehabilitation in the home. Our findings suggest that there is an untapped potential of exergames for home rehabilitation use, as our findings show that there was better adherence to exercise in participants who used the exergames, versus those who used standard care. Finally, we make recommendations for designers, on the design of exergames for the rehabilitation of seniors.