ABSTRACT

Objective : The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of IM training on the balance, fall efficacy, and cognitive function of community-dwelling older adults. Methods : Three older adults participated in a total of 11 31-minute sessions of IM training during this single-subject design research study. An IM Short Form Test(IM SFT), a Four Step Square Test(FSST), and the Fullerton Advanced Balance(FAB) Scale were used to evaluate the subjects' balance. The Korean versions of the Fall Efficacy and Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale were used to evaluate the fall efficacy. A serial 7 subtraction task was used to evaluate the cognitive function of the participants. Results : All participants showed a higher than average IM SFT SRO% during the intervention period compared to the pre-interventional baseline period. All of them achieved higher scores on their post-interventional balance function test than on their pre-interventional test. All three demonstrated a higher than average attention test score during the intervention period than pre-intervention. Conclusion : It was confirmed that IM training is applicable for community-dwelling older adults to improve their balance and cognitive function.