CatchU: A Quantitative Multisensory Falls-Assessment Study (CatchU)

This is an interventional prevention trial for Fall Injury focused on measuring falls, aging, multisensory integration Read More

General inclusion criteria:

1. Adults aged 65 and older, residing in New York Metropolitan area who plan to be in area for next three or more years.
2. Able to speak English at a level sufficient to undergo our assessment battery.
3. Ambulatory. Participants are classified as 'non-ambulatory' if they are unable to leave the confines of their home and attend a clinic visit. These include participants who are bed-bound as a result of severe medical illness or those who require assistive medical devices (respiratory support or ventilators) that cannot be transported or those who cannot complete our mobility protocols. We will not exclude participants who use walking aids (canes, crutches) for ambulation. Participants who require walking aids to walk outside but are able to complete our mobility protocols without an assistive device or the assistance of another person will not be excluded.

General exclusion criteria (one or more criteria):

1. Presence of dementia as defined as a score of ≥ 2 on the Alzheimer's Disease 8 (AD8) or < 25 on The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). These cut scores and procedures have been validated in our and other aging studies.
2. Serious chronic or acute illness such as cancer (late stage, metastatic, or on active treatment), chronic pulmonary disease on ventilator or continuous oxygen therapy or active liver disease. Individuals with recent cardiovascular or cerebrovascular event (Myocardial Infarction, Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty, Coronary Artery Bypass Graft, or stroke) will not be excluded if they meet above inclusion criteria. Many of these chronic conditions are very common in older adults. Hence, mere presence of these conditions will not be used to exclude participants if well controlled or of mild severity and if participants are able to complete training and mobility tasks.
3. Mobility limitations solely due to musculoskeletal limitation or pain (e.g., severe osteoarthritis) that prevent participants from completing mobility tests.
4. Any medical condition or chronic medication use (e.g., neuroleptics) in the judgment of the screening clinician that will compromise safety or affect cognitive functioning or terminal illness with life expectancy less than 12 months.
5. Progressive, degenerative neurologic disease (e.g., Parkinson's disease or ALS) diagnosed by study clinician or as per medical history.
6. Presence of clinical disorders that overtly alter attention like delirium.
7. Hospitalized in the past 6 months for severe illness or surgery that specifically affects mobility (e.g., hip or knee replacement) and that prevent participants from completing mobility tests or plans for surgery affecting mobility in the next 6 months.
8. Severe auditory, visual, or somatosensory self-reported impairments. Visual acuity will be screened using a Snellen chart by the psychological assistant. Presence of neuropathy will be assessed using the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument.
9. Active psychoses or psychiatric symptoms (such as agitation) noted during the clinic visit that will prevent completion of study protocols. Past history of these symptoms or presence of psychiatric illness not used as exclusion criteria.
10. Living in nursing home.
11. Participation in another intervention trial. Participants can participate in other observational studies.