Lifestyle Integrated approach to reduce Falls through Exercise (LIFE)

The aim of this project is to improve the capacity of people living at home to avoid falls. The project will evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated lifestyle apporach to balance and strength exercise (LIFE) and a structured balance and strenght exercise program to reducing falls in people who are at high risk. In the lifestyle approach (LIFE), older people will be taught how to do balance and strenght training and integrate it into their lifestyle so that its is embedded within their daily activity and weekly routines. It is expected that this integrated lifesytle apporach to balance and strenght training will be effective in reducing falls and will be sustainable over a one-year period. This study will also determine for which groups of peoploe LIFE is most effective. The trial is a 3-arm randomized trial that will be conducted with 381 pepople who are 70 years or over, who have experienced at least two falls in the past year or had an injurious fall. the notion of balance trianing is not well understood. A product of this project will be an alternative balance ans strength intervention (LIFE) that offers, in a user friendly and simplified manner, a way of operationalizing the principles of balance and strength training for use by older people within their daily lives.