Evaluation of the Ballroom Basics for Balance Program

Evaluation of the Ballroom Basics for Balance Program

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the 12-week Ballroom Basics for Balance (BB4B). 20 older adults in the Madison, Wisconsin area who self-select into the Ballroom Basics for Balance Program will be on study for the 12 week intervention plus pre- and post-intervention tests within 10 days for program start and completion.

The primary aim is to examine how balance is impacted by participation in this program.

The secondary aims are to examine how the program impacts metrics of gait, fall frequency, occupational performance, functional cognition and functional gait. The investigators hypothesize that participation in this program will lead to significant within-subject changes from pre to post-test in both our primary and secondary outcomes.

• Hypothesis 1: Balance, as measured by the MiniBESTest, will improve (score will increase) from baseline to posttest for individuals who participate in the 12-week BB4B program.
• Hypothesis 2: Overground gait speed will increase, time spent in double support will decrease and step extremity ratio will increase from baseline to posttest.
• Hypothesis 3: Measures of occupational performance, functional cognition and functional gait will significantly improve from baseline to posttest. Fall frequency will improve non-significantly due to the limited number of participants in the study

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals enrolled in the BB4B program
• Volunteered for the research study
• Scored a 25 or higher on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), indicating that no cognitive impairment is present.
• English speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

• children