Introduction: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), falls are the third most common cause of chronic decline and around 30% of people aged 65 and over experience one or more falls per year. There is growing evidence that exercise can reduce the number of falls in a safe and effective way, but the lack of comparable data on the effectiveness of different exercises makes it difficult to determine the best form of exercise for older individuals at high risk of falling in order to improve balance and reduce the incidence of falls. Several training programs are known to help older people maintain their health and autonomy. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis was to examine the effectiveness of five different established exercise programs (A Matter of Balance, Otago, Stay Active and Independent for Life, Stepping On and Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance) to reduce the risk of falls in older adults. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was carried out. The scientific literature was searched in PEDro and PubMed databases. In addition, we used research articles listed on the training programs' websites. Results: A review of the literature included seven randomised controlled studies to determine the impact of exercise programmes on reducing the risk of falling and on the fear of falling in older adults. Three of the programmes identified a clinically significant reduction in the risk of falling. Discussion and conclusion: The review of the literature showed that Stay Active and Independent for Life, Stepping On and Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance training programs are suitable for reducing the risk of falling. The Otago exercise program, however, did not reduce the risk of falling, and in the A Matter of Balance programme it was the effect on reducing the fear of falling that was measured, so we can’t draw any conclusions about the effect on the risk of falling. Future research should cover a population that covers a wider geographical area and older adults of poor health, as these are more at risk for falls than healthy older adults.
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