Exergames to improve the mobility of long-term care residents: a cluster randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: Finding suitable and engaging ways for older people living in long-term care (LTC) to engage in physical activity, to maintain function is challenging. There is a need to explore the use of exergames for LTC residents who have mobility and cognitive impairments. We investigated the effect of a group-based Xbox Kinect (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA) exergame program on mobility in LTC residents with and without cognitive impairment.
METHODS: Facilities were randomly assigned to the intervention (four facilities, n = 29, aged 84.7 ± 7.4 years) or control group (five facilities, n = 36, aged 85.8 ± 7.2 years). The intervention group played Xbox Kinect exergames twice weekly for 8 weeks. The control group continued usual activities. The primary outcome measure was mobility, assessed pre- and postintervention using the de Morton Mobility Index (DEMMI).
RESULTS: DEMMI scores improved in residents who played exergames, although this did not reach significance (P = 0.06). There was no interaction between cognition scores and DEMMI scores (P = 0.86). Participants attended an average of 55% of scheduled exergames sessions.
CONCLUSION: The trend toward improvement in mobility, as well as attendance rates indicate that the Xbox Kinect exergames were engaging for a proportion of residents. On this basis, further exergames development for LTC residents warrants attention.