The Effect of Balance Training on Cognitive and Occupational Performance of the Elderly

Background and Objective: One of the most important problems of old age is physical health and cognitive problems that have a significant effect on their quality of life. Balance training can improve motor and cognitive function in the elderly. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of balance training on cognitive and occupational performance of the elderly. Methods: This quasi-experimental study (pretest-posttest design) was performed on 13 elderly people aged 60-75 years in Kahrizak Charity Center in Tehran. Elderly people with the ability to walk independently, with a score of at least 20 on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and a score of 20-40 on the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) underwent the cognitive tests of the Tower of London, the N-back task, and Advanced Reaction Time in the first week, each of which measures the variables of problem-solving, occupational memory, reaction time (simple, diagnostic, and selective), respectively, while the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was used to assess performance and satisfaction. Then, balance training was performed in twenty sessions for ten weeks, two sessions per week for each elderly person, and in the last week of the intervention, cognitive tests and occupational performance were repeated and the results were compared before and after the experiment. Findings: The mean score of occupational memory before and after the intervention increased significantly from 21.92±5.47 to 30.38±5.36 (p<0.001) and problem solving from 13.15±9.92 to 19.38±11.87 (p=0.003), respectively. The mean score of occupational performance increased significantly from 6.47±1.53 to 7.07±1.71 (p=0.002) and variable of satisfaction from 6.51±1.79 to 7.10±1.61 (p=0.02). However, no significant change was observed in the reaction time variable (simple, diagnostic, and selective). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that participating in a balance training program can have positive effects on a number of cognitive functions such as problem solving, occupational memory and also occupational performance (performance, satisfaction) in the elderly.