Merging Attentional Focus and Balance Training to Reduce Fall Risk in Older Adults

We expect that a balance training intervention that utilizes an external focus of attention will lead to the adoption of balance strategies that are protective against falls. The mechanism for this behavioral change will be identified using a Dynamical Systems Theory framework (i.e., entropy) to quantify postural sway characteristics before, during and after the training. We will determine whether the balance intervention utilizing an external focus of attention will lead to positive benefits through the three specific aims.