THE EFFICACY OF TASK SPECIFIC VR TRAINING VERSUS COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY IN FALL PREVENTION AMONG ELDERLY – A PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Background: Falls represent a major public health crisis among older adults, contributing significantly to morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs worldwide. The number of falls escalates with age for people over 65. These falls account for 30-50% of hospital admissions. VR improves neuroplasticity and motor learning by giving multisensory feedback, repetitive practice over and over again and mainly through gamification. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), originally a psychological approach which has been modified for physical rehabilitation to address fear of falling and maladaptive behaviours. Despite individual benefits, no studies have directly compared task-specific VR training, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and conventional exercises directly for preventing falls and improving balance in the elderly.

Method: A total of 24 participants both male and female aged 65–80 years were selected using simple random sampling. Screening was done using standardized tools such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Falls Efficacy Scale (FES). After obtaining consent Participants were then randomly allocated into three small groups consisting of 8 subjects in each group. Group A received cognitive behavioral therapy, Group B received task specific virtual reality training and group c received Conventional physiotherapy. The outcome measures selected for this pilot study included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to assess functional balance, Balance Assessor for evaluating fall risk and stability. All assessments were carried out at baseline, 6th week and 12th week.

Result: The findings indicate that the groups were similar at baseline, but differences became more evident over time, particularly at 12 weeks for BA Fall, SLS, and LOS, and at both 6 and 12 weeks for BBS. With F (2,21) = 5.160, p = 0.015 for BBS, F (2,21) = 7.236, p = 0.004 for BA Fall, F (2,21) = 5.186, p = 0.015 for SLS, F (2,21) = 10.913, p = 0.001 for LOS at 12 weeks.

Conclusion: The enhanced sensory feedback, task relevance and motivational appeal of VR appear to drive superior neural and functional adaptations. While CBT and traditional exercises retain important roles particularly for addressing psychological barriers and general fitness. .