Home-Based Exercise Program After Community Balance Training for Parkinson's Disease

This study tested whether a home-based exercise program helps older adults with Parkinson's disease keep the improvements they gain from a community balance program. Participants lived in small towns and rural communities in Oklahoma, where access to movement disorder specialists is limited. All participants first took part in a three-month community-based recreational therapy balance program. At the end of those three months, participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group continued with a home-based program for twelve weeks, which included an exercise manual, instructional videos, and a weekly telephone call from a researcher. The other group received general wellness guidance without follow-up contact. Participants were assessed three times: before the community program began, at three months, and at six months. The assessments measured walking speed, stride length, and cadence; postural stability; concern about falling; anxiety and depression; social connectedness; and quality of life. The purpose of the study was to learn whether continued support at home helps people hold onto the gains they make in a community program, and how quickly those gains are lost without that support.