The Effects of Eye Movement Exercise and Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Balance and Fear of Falling in Older Adults: Pilot Study

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of eye gaze stability exercise(GSE) and rhythmic auditory stimulation(RAS) on balance and fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults.Methods: Eleven participants completed a 6-week intervention consisting of GSE and RAS training.Assessments were conducted at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention using the Korean Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling for the Elderly (K-SAFE), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Timed Up and Go test (TUG).Repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc tests was applied.Results: Significant changes were observed in K-SAFE, BBS and TUG scores.Specifically, BBS improved across all time points, while K-SAFE and TUG showed significant changes between pre-post and mid-post assessments. Conclusion: GSE and RAS training demonstrated positive effects on balance, mobility and psychological outcomes in older adults.Given their simplicity, safety, and feasibility, these interventions can be effectively implemented in community and home settings to prevent falls.