Efficacy of Exergames in Reducing the Risk of Falls of Pre-Frail and Frail Older Adults without a Systemic Disease: A Narrative Review

Background: As life expectancy continues to increase, frailty becomes more common in the older adult population. The systemic changes that occur during aging are responsible for deficits in balance and mobility, significantly increasing the risk of falling. Therapeutic exercise has been shown to improve strength, balance, and functional ability in older adults. The use of exergames and virtual reality (VR) offers an alternative mode of exercise for older adults. Aim: The aim of this review is to investigate current research data on the efficacy of VR games (exergames) on factors that affect the reduction of fall risk (balance, strength, and functional ability) in pre-frail and frail older adults, who are not affected by a systemic disease. Method: The international databases Pub-Med, ScienceDirect, PEDro, and SpringerLink were searched in English with the following keywords: “exergames OR virtual reality training AND balance OR falls AND old adults OR elderly”. The search was filtered for studies published in the last five years. Results: A total of nine studies were included in the review for further analysis. All studies involved pre-frail and frail older adults without systemic diseases (n = 450, 71.5% women). Five exergaming studies used the Microsoft Kinect Xbox 360 console, while the remaining four used the Nintendo Wii Fit. All studies concluded that an exergaming program can be equally or more effective than a conventional therapeutic exercise program and can produce statistically significant improvements in balance, functional ability, and strength in pre-frail and frail older adults, reducing the risk of falls. Furthermore, there were indications that th