This study is being done to better understand how vestibular problems and thinking abilities (such as attention and mental flexibility) are related in older adults, and how doing a balance task and a thinking task at the same time affects their performance. Older adults will first complete questionnaires and simple paper-and-pencil tests of attention, memory, and mental rotation while seated. They will then perform standing balance tasks on a portable force platform under different conditions (eyes open, eyes closed, standing on a foam surface) and will repeat some of the thinking tasks at the same time. Next, participants will walk on a treadmill while wearing small motion sensors, both with and without added thinking tasks such as serial subtraction and digit reordering. The total testing time is about 90 minutes. Two groups will be included: healthy older adults and older adults who have had dizziness or falls in the past two years. By comparing these groups, the study aims to provide a basis for designing future dual-task assessment and training programs to reduce balance problems and falls in older adults.
Community-dwelling adults aged 55 years or older.
Able to walk at least 30 meters independently or with the use of a walking aid.
Able to understand the study procedures and communicate in Mandarin or Taiwanese.
Adequate corrected vision to go out independently.
Severe central or peripheral neurological diseases.
Blindness or deafness.
Inability to communicate verbally or to understand simple instructions.
Current fractures or major joint injuries.
Community-dwelling older adults aged 55 years and older without severe neurological, sensory, or musculoskeletal conditions, who can walk at least 30 meters independently or with a walking aid, communicate in Mandarin or Taiwanese, and safely participate in weekly moderate-intensity exercise sessions.
Other
Cross-sectional
Instrumented balance and gait assessment using wearable inertial sensors
DeviceParticipants undergo a series of static and dynamic balance and gait assessments in a motion analysis laboratory while wearing body-segment inertial measurement units (IMUs). The sensors provide real-time signals for interaction with the evaluation system during single-task and dual-task standing and walking tests.
Questionnaires and paper-based cognitive tests
Other interventionParticipants complete a battery of self-report questionnaires and paper-based cognitive tests after explanation by a physical therapist. Instruments include dizziness and balance scales, the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale, and cognitive tests such as the WAIS-III Taiwan Digit Odd-Even Sequencing Test, Taiwan Stroop Word-Color Test, path judgment tasks, and mental rotation tasks. Questionnaires are administered verbally and responses recorded in writing.
Gait speed
Average forward velocity of whole-body progression during walking, calculated as total distance divided by time.
Stride length (m)
Linear distance between two consecutive initial contacts of the same foot.
Step width (m)
Mediolateral distance between consecutive foot placements, representing base of support during gait.
Cadence (steps/min)
Number of steps taken per minute during walking.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Taiwan version score (0-30points)
Total score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Taiwan version, representing global cognitive function.
Path tracing completion time (s)
Time required to complete the Color Trails Test-1 task.
Stroop test score (count as PR1-99%)
Score of Stroop-type task, indicating inhibitory control and selective attention.
Working memory completion time (s)
Time required to complete the Color Trails Test-2 task.
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TaiwanClick on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
