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Playing to Win
Will video games help seniors improve balance and activity?
BY ANDREW CURRY
aS PeoPle age, the likelihood they’ll fall
rises—along with the harm such tumbles do to
the body. The problems start with age-related
declines in balance, vision, strength, and
posture. After the age of 65, there’s a 1-in- 3
risk of falling each year. According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
falls are the leading cause of injury—fatal and
otherwise—for people over 65.
Steven Morrison, PhD
occupation
Director of Research,
School of Physical Therapy
and Athletic Training,
Old Dominion University
focus
Exercise
ada Research funding
Clinical Translational Award
For seniors with diabetes who also have
neuropathy—nerve damage that makes it hard
to feel the feet and hands—the situation is worse.
“They lose the ability to detect where their limbs
are in space. They can’t judge distances; they
trip going over a step,” says Steven Morrison,
PhD. “The risk of falling for people with type 2
diabetes over 65 can be 10 to 20 times higher
than for people of the same age.”
