What are we trying to do?

We are working with people living with dementia and various patient and professional organisations to develop and implement a digital health programme for falls prevention and to improve well-being in people living with dementia in the community (Keep-On-Keep-Up (KOKU) LITE – available to download and use on iPads). 

 

 

Why is this important?

Falls are a public health concern and a common problem in older people (aged 65 years and over). Older adults with cognitive impairment are more than twice as likely to fall compared with older adults without cognitive impairment. In addition, one in five falls causes serious injuries such as broken bones or a head injury. Research has shown that exercise reduces falls by around a third in older people. Utilising digital technology to enable older people living with dementia to live in their own home independently for longer, or to prevent falls, has the potential to improve quality-of-life and provide cost savings to health and social care.

 

 

How are we doing it?

KOKU is a tablet/iPad-based, digital gamified strength and balance exercise programme specifically designed with older people for older people at risk of falls. KOKU supports older people to engage with simple, effective, evidence-based falls prevention exercises, helping people remain functionally active for longer and preventing falls. KOKU has been developed based on the evidence-based OTAGO and FaME exercise programmes for community dwelling older adults. It is GDPR compliant and has been approved by the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health apps (ORCHA) for NHS use in the UK. We have completed the following stages in the project:

 

• Modified the existing version of KOKU in collaboration with people with dementia and carers to suit their needs and make it dementia-friendly and accessible to people with Dementia, (this version is known as KOKU-LITE).
• Completed the development of brain health game as an add-on to KOKU-LITE

 

We are now in the process of testing the modified new version of KOKU (KOKU-LITE) with people living with dementia, and health and social care professionals. This feasibility randomised controlled trial is a 6-week study comparing the modified KOKU-LITE programme with usual care in community dwelling people living with dementia. After assessing participants for eligibility, they will be allocated randomly to either an intervention or control group. Assessments will be performed at baseline and 6 weeks post follow up.

 

 

KOKU resources:

• Our website: https://kokuhealth.com [kokuhealth.com] 
• Youtube videos on KOKU: https://youtu.be/7g6zKIvj9I0 
• Youtube videos with step by step instructions on how to use KOKU: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/koku-lite-keep-on-keep-up/id1155051089           

 

 

Funding:

This is one of four ARC-GM research projects that ARC-GM funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Alzheimer's Society Building Capacity in Dementia Research Programme.

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This funding is intended to support the new generation of dementia research leaders, bringing together researchers from different multidisciplinary backgrounds to encourage cross-cutting and community-orientated dementia research projects that can address key gaps in the evidence base.

 

More information about all of the ARC-GM research projects, and Dementia Fellows, funded as part of the Building Capacity in Dementia Programme, can be found from the ARC-GM DEM-COMM section of the NIHR ARC-GM website.

 

 

 

More information

 

 

 

Programme Manager
Alison Littlewood
alison.j.littlewood@manchester.ac.uk