Effect of home-based exercise on falls in community-dwelling older adults: an umbrella review

Aims The aim of this review study was to examine the effectiveness of home-based and community-based exercise programmes in the rate of falls and improving physical functioning in community-dwelling older adults. Methods All types of home-based and community-based exercise interventions were searched. From 1186 studies identified, 14 studies were selected for the umbrella review. Most studies had high methodological quality. The types of interventions were multi-functional programmes (n=11 studies) and Otago Exercise Programme (OEP) (n=3 studies). Results The results showed that home-based and community-based exercise interventions can reduce falls by 22–32%. Studies that included meta-analysis showed that the clinical significance of home-based interventions in fall prevention and improving physical function was moderate to high. Conclusions In conclusion, home-based and community-based exercise interventions are a safe, effective, and feasible method of fall prevention that could be implemented with minimum supervision by allied health professionals to maximise autonomy, self-efficacy, and adherence in community-dwelling older adults.