Study of the Impact of Implicit Motor Training in a Rehabilitation Programme in Frail Elderly Subjects

Study of the Impact of Implicit Motor Training Using a Virtual Reality System and Serious Games on a Tablet Computer in a Rehabilitation Programme in Frail Elderly Subjects

Even though cognitive-motor performances are impaired in frail elderly subjects compared with healthy elderly subjects, exercising cognitive-motor processes in an implicit manner can improve the carrying out of real actions in everyday life.

No training programme using virtual reality and serious games oriented towards the perception/action system has been tested in frail elderly subjects.

The expected results are:

• In the short term, greater strengthening of motor and cognitive abilities in subjects trained with the virtual reality and serious games, thanks to stimulation through action and through the underlying processes.
• In the long term (+1 and +3 months at the end of the training period) better preservation of motor and cognitive abilities in subjects who took part in the virtual reality and serious games programme.

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients :

• Who have provided oral consent
• Enrolled in a geriatric rehabilitation programme
• Qualified as cognitively frail, that is to say a MiniMental State Examination (MMSE) score between 15 and 28 and/or for motor abilities, a walking speed less than 0.65 m/s.
• Aged ≥ 65 years
• Able to understand simple instructions

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients:

• Not covered by national health insurance
• With an extremely low cognitive status (MMSE < 15)
• With severely impaired vision and audition (unable to discern any sensory information from the virtual reality system: music, sounds, images)
• Who are unstable when standing
• With an unsteady gait (risk of falling)
• Who cannot walk at least 10 metres
• With an acute non-stabilized cardiovascular disease
• With one or several non-consolidated fractures.
• Under guardianship