Virtual reality improved fall-risk scores in older adults
A randomized trial of 50 older adults compared 10 virtual reality sessions with conventional sessions, assessing fall risk, fear of falling and fear of movement.
Our read
Interventions- Studied:
- Randomized trial in 50 older adults attending day centers, 10 sessions
- What changed:
- Fall-risk scores improved with virtual reality, but the benefit over conventional sessions was not quantified
- The catch:
- Participants knew their program, which could bias questionnaire scores
- In the record:
- The 73rd paper on virtual reality with results in people; 195 on record in all.
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Fifty older adults attending day centers in Querétaro took part in an open-label randomized trial, meaning participants knew which program they received. Their mean age was 69.6. The virtual reality group included 28 people who received 10 sessions. The other 22 received conventional sessions. Questionnaires and a timed mobility test equipped with motion sensors assessed fall risk and movement-related fears.
Scores improved on every assessment in the virtual reality group. The conventional group showed changes in mobility and fear of movement, but no statistically clear change in fear of falling. The authors also concluded that virtual reality led to greater adherence to the program.
Why it matters
Fall prevention is a focus of physical therapy for older adults. The trial explored whether virtual reality could broaden the approaches available.
Caveats
The findings rested on tests and questionnaires rather than reported fall counts. The abstract does not quantify benefits over conventional sessions or the claimed increase in adherence.
- Virtual reality
- Kinesiophobia
- Falls Efficacy Scale-International
- Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-11
- Timed Up and Go test
- Humans
The paper
The Impact of Simulation Technology on Fall Prevention: A Clinical Trial in Older Adults
Autonomous University of Queretaro
Revista Espanola de Geriatria y Gerontologia, Jul 6, 2026, Open access
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