Effects of the otago exercise program on physical performance, balance, falls, frailty and empowerment in the elderly

Objective: The main purpose of the research is to evaluate the effect of Otago exercises on physical performance, balance, falls, frailty and empowerment in elderly individuals. Method: This randomized controlled trial included subjects over 65 years of age in the Narlıdere Nursing Home Care and Rehabilitation Center in Turkey between September 2016 and June 2017. The universe of research; During the data collection period provided the elderly people over 65 years old at the Narlıdere Nursing Home Geriatric Care and Rehabilitation Center. According to G-Power statistical analysis, it is aimed to study 72 patients with 36% in each group with 95% confidence and 80% theoretical power. However, the study was completed with 71 patients who leave otago group without working for the reason of surgery. Age and gender were used as the criteria for stratified randomization in this study, considering that the subjects to be included in the sample may affect the exercise application. In Otago exercises training, Otago exercises were applied using a demonstration technique and a handbook was given in front of the researcher. In the study, a walking program was implemented to exclude the placebo effect and prevent ethical problems. The walking program for the elderly was shown once by the researcher and the individual was provided with a training and follow-up booklet. As data collection forms in the study; The Patient Identification Form, the Berg Balance Scale, the 30-second Sit to Stand test, the 6-minute walking test, the Falls Behavioural (FaB) Scale for the Older Person, the Edmonton Frail Scale and the Empowerment Scale were used. Results: The average age of the Otago group is 74.6 ± 5.9, while the average age of the walking group is 75.8 ± 4.5. 74.3% of the individuals in the Otago group were female, 25.7% were male and 75% of the marching group were female and 25% were male (p = 0.576). Change percentages were calculated for repeated measurement values in each group to investigate whether there was a significant difference between the groups. A significant difference was found between 0 measurement and 3 month measurement values at 95% significance level (p <0.001) when the difference percentage values between groups were investigated for Frail scale. The median of the walking group was 0 (%), while the median of the otago group was -50 (%). For the Berg balance scale, there was a significant difference between the measurements at 0% and 95% significance level (p <0.001). The median of the walking group was 0 (%) while the median of the otago group was 13.6 (%). For the 30-second Sit to Stand test, a significant difference was found between the 0 measurement and the 3 month measurement values at 95% significance level (p = 0.023). The walking group's median was 22.2% while the otago group's median was 33.3%. No significant difference was found for any group with a 95% significance level for the the 6-minute walking test (p> 0,05). 0 measurement and 3 month measurement values change percentage; while the walking group's median was 15.8%, while the otago group's median was 17.5%. For the Falls Behavioural (FaB) Scale, there was a significant difference between the measurements at 0, 95% significance level and 3 month (p = 0.003). The walking group's median was 19.6% while the otago group's median was 15.4%. For the empowerment scale, a significant difference was found between 0 measurement and 3 month measurement values at 95% significance level (p <0.001). The walking group's median was -16.7 (%) while the Otago group median was -27.8 (%). Conclusion: It has been determined that otago exercises have a positive effect on physical performance, balance, drop, fragility and empowerment in the results and findings obtained from the study. Keywords: Elderly, otago exercises, physical performance, balance, falls, frailty, empowerment, nursing