Background and Purpose. Few tests have been found to be strongly predictive of falls in community-dwelling older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine whether data from 5 balance tests—combined with data regarding fall history, number of medications, dizziness, visual problems, use of an assistive device, physical activity level, sex, and age—could predict falls in community-dwelling older adults who were independent. Subjects. Ninety-nine community-dwelling older adults aged 65 to 90 years (X̄= 74.02, SD=5.64) were tested. Methods. Subjects were tracked for falls over a 1-year period following testing. Impairment-based tests, which are tests that attempt to specifically identify which sensory systems are impaired or how motor control is impaired (eg, speed, accuracy of movement), were the Modified Clinical Tests of Sensory Interaction for Balance (Modified CTSIB) and the 100% Limits of Stability Test, both of which were done on the Balance Master 6.1. Performance-based tests, which are functional tests that identify functional limitations without necessarily identifying their causes, were the Berg Balance Scale, the Timed “Up & Go” Test, and the Dynamic Gait Index. Demographic and health data included age, sex, number of medications, physical activity level, presence of dizziness, vision problems, and history of falls over the previous year. Logistic regression was used to determine which combinations of data from balance tests, demographics, and health factors were predictive of falls. Results. Two models—(1) the “standing on a firm surface with eyes closed” (FEC) condition of the Modified CTSIB and (2) the FEC combined with age and sex—were predictive of falls, but predicted only 1 and 2 subjects who were at risk for falling, respectively, out of 20 people who were at risk for falling. Discussion and Conclusion. Five balance tests combined with health and demographic factors did not predict falls in a sample of community-dwelling older adults who were active and independent.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects muscle tone, strength, flexibility, motor control, psychological outlook, cognition, and function. Exercise has been found to improve physical ability and psychological outlook, but the effect of yoga on individuals with PD has not been well researched. The purposes of this study were to identify outcome measures that were responsive to change in individuals with PD after an 8-week adaptive yoga program and to determine appropriate sample sizes for future studies. In a repeated measures design, 10 participants with a Hoehn and Yahr stage of 2 or 3 were tested prior to and after an 8-week control phase and again after they underwent an 8-week adaptive yoga program. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests revealed differences in time of measure that approached significance for the depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (p = 0.008) and the 30-Second Chair Stand (TSCS) (p = 0.013). The interaction between time of measure and gender approached significance for the Sit-and-Reach Test (SRT) (p = 0.08 and 0.03, right and left respectively), with male participants improving in sit-and-reach flexibility compared with female participants after intervention. The interaction between time of measure and age approached significance for the Single-Leg Balance test (SLB) (p = 0.007), with younger participants improving in SLB time after intervention. Power calculations found that a sample size ranging from 33 to 153 would be required to achieve significance at the 0.01 level in the various outcome measures in a future study of this design. The depression subscale of the HADS, the TSCS, the SLB, and the right and left SRT were the measures that changed following the yoga intervention and are recommended as outcome measures in future studies investigating the effectiveness of yoga for individuals with PD. This preliminary study supports further investigation of adaptive yoga using a randomized design and a larger sample size of individuals with PD.