title: Efficacy of supervised Tai Chi exercises versus conventional physical therapy exercises in fall prevention for frail older adults: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the effectiveness of supervised Tai Chi exercises versus the conventional physical therapy exercises in a personalized rehabilitation program in terms of the incidence and severity of falls in a frail older population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were frail older adults living in the community, admitted to the day hospital program in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada (n = 152). They were randomized to receive a 15-week intervention, either by supervised Tai Chi exercises (n = 76) or conventional physical therapy (n = 76). Fall incidence and severity were assessed using both the calendar technique and phone interviews once a month during 12 months following the end of the intervention. Other variables were collected at baseline to compare the two groups: age, comorbidity, balance, sensory interaction on balance, and self-rated health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both interventions demonstrated a protective effect on falls but Tai Chi showed a greater one (RR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.56-0.98) as compared to conventional physical therapy exercises.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supervised Tai Chi exercises as part of a rehabilitation program seem to be a more effective alternative to the conventional physical therapy exercises for this specific population.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre on Aging, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. michel.tousignant@usherbooke.ca
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tousignant
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Corriveau
authors.forename: Pierre-Michel
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Johanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Desrosiers
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dubuc
authors.forename: Réjean
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hébert
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D004856:Postural Balance; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D026302:Tai Ji / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome