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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03417635

Meditation Strategies, Attention, and Mobility in Older Adults

Approximately 30% of community-dwelling older adults experience one or more falls per year, resulting in injuries, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life. While there are known physiological risk factors for falls, including poor balance and altered gait patterns, it is now recognized that impaired cognitive functioning is also a risk factor for falls. Within the broad construct of cognition, one specific domain that has been focused on in the falls literature is attention. The literature suggests that improving attention in those at-risk for falls may reduce older adult's risk of falling.

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Key information

Conditions

Mobility Limitation Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

60 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Community

London, Ontario, Canada

About this study

The current study aims to investigate the impact of meditation strategies on measures of attention and electrical signals in the brain in older adults. Investigators will recruit older adults who are living in the community. Participants will be assigned to one of two groups: 1) guided focused attention group, or 2) music group (control group). All participants will complete three in-person sessions per week and then be encouraged to practice independently on the other days in the week, for a total of four weeks.The current study focuses on focused attention meditation strategies, as it is recommended for beginner-level meditators. This will include training to be able to focus on one's breathing for 20 minute sessions. Focused attention meditation has been found to increase levels of executive functioning and attention. Participants will complete mobility and cognitive assessments at both the beginning and end of the intervention. These will be completed in the retirement homes for convenience. Participants will also attend an in-lab session to complete electroencephalogram (EEG) testing at both timepoints.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • minimum 60 years of age,
  • minimum completed high school,
  • must be comfortable writing and reading English,
  • be able to walk independently,
  • must be right-handed (for EEG analysis),
  • score 6+/8 on the instrumental activities of daily living scale,
  • score >24/30 on the Mini-Mental Status examination.

Exclusion criteria

To be included, participants must NOT:

  • have a diagnosis of neurodegenerative disease,
  • have a diagnosis of cognitive impairment (e.g., MCI),
  • have a diagnosis of a psychiatric condition,
  • have had a concussion in the last 12 months,
  • have had a stroke,
  • have musculoskeletal or joint disease,
  • experience dizziness or loss of balance,
  • have visual, auditory, or somatosensory impairment, or
  • a recent history (past 2 years) of regular meditation practice (1 or more times per week) or include a meditation component in their religious practice.

Treatment and study plan

Guided focused attention

Behavioral

Participants will meet for 20 minute group sessions with 6-10 participants in each group. There will be three meetings a week for a four week period. The focused attention practice itself will last for 20 minutes with instructions being given during the 20 minute period. All sessions will occur in the retirement home in a community room to ensure the sessions are easily accessible to the participants.

Acoustic music

Behavioral

Participants will meet for 20 minute group sessions with 6-10 participants in each group. There will be three meetings a week for a four week period. The acoustic music track itself will last for 20 minutes with instructions being given during the 20 minute period. All sessions will occur in the retirement home in a community room to ensure the sessions are easily accessible to the participants.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in sustained attention

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Measured by performance on sustained attention task.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in global attention

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Measured by electrophysiological measures of attention.

  2. Change in mobility

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Measured by the Timed Up and Go test.

  3. Change in mobility and balance

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Measured by the Short Physical Performance Battery.

  4. Change in memory

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Measured with the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test

  5. Change in conflict resolution

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Measured with the stroop task

  6. Change in set-shifting

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Measured with the trail making task

  7. Change in working memory

    Time frame: 4 weeks

    Measured with the digit span task

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Western University, Canada

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2019
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Jan 31, 2018
Registry last updated
Dec 5, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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