Fewer falls among frail seniors assigned to tai chi than to those assigned to wellness education

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta GA conducted a study to determine whether a tai chi program could reduce the risk of falls more than a wellness education program among older adults transitioning to frailty. 291 participants were randomly assigned to 48 weeks of tai chi or wellness education. The tai chi group had fewer falls than the wellness education group however the difference was not statistically significant. The authors conclude that, while the study did not show that tai chi was effective for fall prevention in this population, the results, together with other studies among more robust older adults, suggest that tai chi may be effective for fall reduction in older adults transitioning to frailty and should be evaluated further.

Abstract