Project update - VITAAL

VITAAL is an individualized video-game based training - a so-called exergame - with the focus on balance, strength, cognition and pelvic floor muscle training. VITAAL aims at supporting and strengthening the reduced physical, mental, social and functional abilities of older adults.
In February 2020, our partner Physio SPArtos in Interlaken started recruiting participants aged 60 and older with mobility impairments to evaluate the usability of the newly developed exergame. Shortly after the measurement of the first participants in March, the study was interrupted due to the pandemic situation of COVID-19. In order to find a solution to ensure the safety of our participants and to continue the project, our group worked in close collaboration with the Department of Health Sciences and Technology and the Administrative Department for Safety, Health and Environment of ETH Zurich to develop a safety concept appropriate to the situation. Under strict safety conditions, the measurements could be continued at the beginning of July. This study will be completed in August and will give us important feedback on the usability of the newly developed individualized exergame. The implications resulting from this study will be incorporated into further game development. The next steps will be a study to investigate the usability of the pelvic floor muscle exergames in women with incontinence. Later, feasibility and the effects of the developed system will be tested in a larger randomized controlled trial.