Falls and the loss of mobility are big problems
During the aging process, mobility tends to decrease while the risk for falling increases. In Switzerland, about 30% of people over 65 fall once in a year. These falls often cause grave result for the patient and the larger community.
Direct physical result such as fractures; including over 1,300 deaths per year.
Indirect results such as increased fear of further falling, with a concomitant reduction of function and activity, which paradoxically adds to the risk of further falls.
Isolation, loss of quality of life, mobility and independence for those affected by a fall.
Health costs continually rising past CHF 1.4 Billion (Swiss Francs, $1.5 Billion) per year!
The doubling of the world population of individuals over 80 years old by the year 2040, will cause this problem to increase dramatically. It is vital that we create interventions now to meet this challenge.
Project effect and goals
The non-profit Legacy of Wisdom Swiss Association has created a new and innovative multi-modal mobility and fall reduction program entitled “Power Centering for Seniors”. The efficacy of this intervention is now being definitively tested through high quality medical research. With the “Power Centering for Seniors” program the following goals can be realized:
Reduction in the occurrence of falls in older people and in the fear of falling.
An improvement in the quality of life through maintaining mobility and independence.
Increased success in maintaining mobility and independence.
Develop new functional approaches to gait profile standards using a robust multi-modal design that better parallels the activities of daily living.
Resulting reduction of Communal health costs by hundreds of millions of Swiss Francs yearly.
“Power Centering for Seniors” – The Mobility and Fall Reduction Program
The unique approach of “Power Centering for Seniors” is a new, integrated intervention combining:
Strength and balance training already in mainstream therapy
Cognition centering and body awareness training synthesized from the basis of Qi Gong and Tai Ji.
Subjects will experience an intervention consisting of a progressive series of 24 sessions (@ 75 min). The social aspect of the training group plays an important role for program success.
“Power Centering for Seniors” is being developed through the Legacy of Wisdom Swiss Association. Founded in Switzerland in 2012, it is recognized in Switzerland as a tax free non-profit organization, dedicated to research and development in this pressing field. Through the Association’s high level of specialized expertise in movement and medicine, the “Power Centering for Seniors” program has undergone pilot tests and refinements since it was investigated in collaboration with Harvard Medical School (Dr. S. Bhasin).
Medical Research - in collaboration with Basel’s Mobility Center of Felix-Platter Hospital
We have created a definitive, evidence based trial to test the efficacy of the “Power Centering for Seniors” intervention. The Legacy of Wisdom Association will work in co-sponsorship with the internationally acclaimed University Department of Aging Medicine of the Felix Platter Hospital in Basel. The hospital will carry out the scientific tests and act as the medical reference center for the research.
In 2014 and again in 2018, we completed feasibility studies and a Pilot study and were able to validate the study’s design and protocol. In the just completed Randomized Control Trial (April Feb. 2021 - Jan. 2022), we carried through the necessary testing, data gathering, and statistical analysis and are preparing publications in professional, peer-reviewed medical journals.
Longer range development will refine delivery methods and become scalable to local geographic populations, targeted for specific disease constellations and tailored to financial resources.
This intervention’s new approach and the high competence of the project partners offer a unique chance for effective refinement of a much needed intervention. A great improvement in the quality of life in seniors, including mobility maintenance, independence, the reduction of falls and their risks can be realized with a comparatively small investment. It should also provide a long-term and major reduction in health care costs for the larger community.
Research conducted through the non-profit Legacy of Wisdom Swiss Association.
