Very elderly dependent individuals commonly exhibit impairments in static and dynamic balance, reduced gait quality, and cognitive disorders that lead to a high risk of falls. In addition, cerebral oxygenation at rest and during exercise appears to be a factor contributing to this risk. It is also well known that Adapted Physical Activity (APA) can help maintain motor and cognitive abilities in older adults.
In this context, the objectives are: 1) to characterize the physical and cognitive capacities of very elderly individuals during acute exercise, particularly by assessing physical condition, functional autonomy, well-being, and cerebral and muscular oxygenation; 2) to assess the effects of a multivariate APA program composed of motor and cognitive tasks on the previously studied variables (notably physical condition, dependency level, cerebral oxygenation, and number of falls); 3) to compare the cognitive-task–oriented multivariate APA program with other programs described in the scientific literature in order to determine its advantages in terms of dependency and fall incidence.
This study is conducted as part of a CIFRE research collaboration contract between SAPRéM and the EHPAD de la Mothe.
Contact: Nancy Rebot (nancy.rebot@univ-orleans.fr)