NCT06304077 Restorative Environments for Gait Therapy with VR

Eligibility & Interventions

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This trial targets 84 participants in total. It began in 2024-04-23 with a primary completion date of 2025-08-31.

Brief Summary

The aim of our study is to investigate the effects of landscapes during gait therapy. The investigators will evaluate the impacts of restorative landscapes as they occur in urban, rural and forest environments. Older people will experience those landscapes using virtual reality (VR) goggles during their gait training. The investigators expect the landscapes to have an effect on the following three aspects: (1) stress reduction, (2) restoration of attention and (3) change in gait parameters. For this purpose, volunteers who are currently inpatient in one of our study centers and already participating in gait therapy will be assigned to a group. The control group will receive the standard therapy. The participants of the intervention groups will receive five additional VR training sessions to the standard therapy. In these sessions, the participants will walk through urban, rural and forest landscapes and perform balance improvement exercises. The five training sessions will take place within ten days. Allocation to the control or intervention groups and their landscapes is random. At the start and end of participation, tests defining stress levels and gait parameters are carried out so that comparisons can be made between before and after treatment. The goal of the study is to find out which type of landscape supports restoration and can therefore contribute to greater gait stability. The investigators expect that improved gait stability will be promoted by stress reduction and increased attention induced by the virtual environments. The investigators are investigating the consequences of repeated application of virtual landscapes and the relationship between the effect of the landscape and the preferences and habits of the study participants.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * age: \> 65 years * german-speaking * ability to give informed consent * attends gait safety training (usual care) * inpatient for a duration of min. 2 weeks in one of the study sites * items 7 - 15 of the De Morton Mobility Index (DEMMI): min. 2 points, max. 9 points * 3-minute walking distance: \> 30 m without rest, with or without walking aids, overground walking on flat surface Exclusion Criteria: * epilepsy * Partial weight bearing or conservatively or surgically treated billing with weight bearing as determined by symptoms * Severe hearing impairment (if not corrected with hearing aid) * Injuries to the eyes, face, or neck that prevent comfortable use of VR glasses.

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