CatchU App for Fall Injury Prevention

(CatchU Trial)

Not currently recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Jeannette R Mahoney, PhD

Age: 65+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Jeannette Mahoney

Must not be taking: Neuroleptics

Disqualifiers: Dementia, Cancer, Parkinson's, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 1

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests a new iPhone app called CatchU, designed to help older adults prevent falls by improving sensory integration. The CatchU Intervention identifies those at risk of falling and provides personalized advice and support to help them stay safe and independent. Participants may qualify if they are 65 or older, live in the New York Metropolitan area, and can walk independently, even with a cane or crutches. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could enhance safety and independence for older adults.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications. However, if you are using medications that might affect safety or cognitive functioning, the screening clinician may decide if it's necessary to adjust them.

What prior data suggests that the CatchU App is safe for fall injury prevention?

Research has shown that fall prevention programs, such as the CatchU app, are safe for older adults. Studies have found that these programs can reduce the risk of falls through exercises and personalized advice. CatchU combines these strategies in a mobile app that identifies those at risk and offers tailored recommendations.

No specific data indicates harmful effects from using the CatchU app. Generally, fall prevention tools do not pose serious safety concerns, as they typically involve simple lifestyle changes or exercises manageable for most people. Based on findings from similar programs, using CatchU should be safe for participants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the CatchU App for fall injury prevention because it offers a personalized approach by using multisensory integration performance to tailor interventions specifically for older adults. Unlike traditional fall prevention options, which often include general exercise programs or home safety evaluations, the CatchU App provides individualized recommendations and referrals based on the CatchU physician report. This customized strategy aims to address the unique needs of individuals with poor visual-somatosensory integration, potentially leading to better cognitive and motor outcomes. By targeting these specific challenges, the CatchU App could offer more effective fall prevention compared to the one-size-fits-all methods currently available.

What evidence suggests that the CatchU app is effective for fall injury prevention?

Research has shown that the CatchU app helps identify older adults at risk of falling by combining sensory information to predict fall risk. In this trial, participants in the CatchU Intervention arm receive individualized recommendations and fall intervention referrals based on the app's assessments. Studies have found that better coordination between sight and touch, which CatchU measures, leads to improved balance and fewer falls. Early results suggest that the CatchU app can help create personalized strategies to prevent falls by providing useful advice and recommendations. CatchU aims to help older adults stay independent and safe, reducing falls and improving their quality of life. ^{1 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Jeannette R Mahoney, PhD

Principal Investigator

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Mooyeon Oh-Park, MD

Principal Investigator

The Burke Rehabilitation Hospital

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

The CatchU study is for English-speaking adults aged 65+ living in the New York Metropolitan area who can walk with or without aids like canes. They should be able to visit a clinic and not have severe medical conditions, dementia, major mobility issues due to musculoskeletal pain, progressive neurological diseases, severe sensory impairments, or any psychiatric symptoms that could interfere with the study.

Inclusion Criteria

I can walk and leave my house without help, even if I use walking aids.

I am 65 or older, live in the New York Metropolitan area, and plan to stay for 3+ years.

Exclusion Criteria

I have been diagnosed with a progressive neurological disease like Parkinson's or ALS.

You live in a nursing home.

My mobility is limited only because of joint issues or pain.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Baseline Assessment

Participants undergo baseline assessment of multisensory integration performance using the CatchU app

1 visit

1 visit (in-person)

Intervention

Participants in the intervention group receive the CatchU intervention, including individualized recommendations and falls counseling

24 months

Bimonthly telephone interviews

Control Monitoring

Participants in the control group are monitored every two months via telephone surveys to determine falls history

24 months

Bimonthly telephone interviews

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for falls and related outcomes over a 24-month period post-baseline

24 months

Bimonthly telephone interviews

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• CatchU Intervention

Trial Overview CatchU Intervention is being tested; it's an iPhone app designed to assess fall risk in older adults. The trial aims to show how well this app predicts falls by using it during clinical visits and follow-up telehealth calls. This pilot study will involve 300 patients over two years.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: CatchU Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Placement into the intervention vs. control group is random, but dependent upon multisensory integration performance. VSI - (poor) integrators, will be randomly assigned into either the intervention or control group to test the beneficial effect of the CatchU intervention. Participants in the Intervention arm will be monitored every two months to determine falls history, but will also receive the CatchU intervention which consists of physicians relaying individualized recommendations from the CatchU physician report to the participant, as well as providing the participant with falls intervention referrals and falls counseling.

Group II: Control Active Control 1 Intervention

Placement into the intervention vs. control group is random, but dependent upon multisensory integration performance. Meaning, older adults who are enrolled and screened with good integration abilities on the CatchU test (aka: VSI + (good) integrators), (VSI = visual-somatosensory integration) will not be placed in either the intervention or control group since better visual-somatosensory integration performance has been linked to better cognitive and motor outcomes. These participants will be included in examination of additional study aims not related to the intervention. VSI - (poor) integrators, will be randomly assigned into either the intervention or control group to test the beneficial effect of the CatchU intervention. Participants in the Control arm will be monitored every two months via telephone surveys to determine falls history, but will not receive the CatchU intervention.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Jeannette Mahoney

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1

Recruited

80+

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Lead Sponsor

Trials

302

Recruited

11,690,000+

Jet Worldwide Enterprises Incorporated

Collaborator

Burke Rehabilitation Hospital

Collaborator

Trials

9

Recruited

750+

Montefiore Medical Center

Collaborator

Trials

468

Recruited

599,000+

Citations

1. catchu.net catchu.net/our-product

Fall Risk Assessment Tool for Older Adults | Mobility App CatchU™ is a mobile risk assessment tool for the older adults. Knowing the risk of falling leads to greater independence and safety.

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10010676/

A Novel Multisensory Tool for Assessing Patients' Risk of Falling The main objective of CatchU™ is to facilitate the identification of patients who are at increased risk of falls and promote the initiation of interventions ...

3. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05544760

CatchU: A Quantitative Multisensory Falls-Assessment Study Using the aforementioned protocol, the study team invented a mobile multisensory falls-assessment iPhone app called CatchU to facilitate physician discussion ...

4. catchu.net catchu.net/faq

Fall Prevention in Older Adults | Risk Assessment Tool - catchu The CatchU® risk assessment for the prevention of falls in older adults costs $29 and includes the test, the results report, and the tailored CDC-based ...

5. news.stonybrook.edu news.stonybrook.edu/university/app-that-predicts-fall-risk-advances-in-a-national-start-up-competition/

App Predicting Fall Risk Advances in Start-Up Competition Healthcare providers caring for aging Americans and others at risk for falls can easily explain how to take a CatchU test on a smartphone.

6. catchu.net catchu.net/fallprevention

Fall Prevention | CATCHU CatchU™ is a mobile alternative for fall risk testing that combines multisensory interactions and mobility into one screening.

7. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38833257/

Interventions to Prevent Falls in Older Adults Conclusions and relevance: Multifactorial and exercise interventions were associated with reduced falls in multiple good-quality trials.

8. youtube.com youtube.com/watch?v=xPrNanuzn2M

Falls Prevention for Older Adults – Evidence-Based Screening ... Falls Prevention for Older Adults – Evidence-Based Screening and Exercise Strategies.

9. mhs.net mhs.net/-/media/mhs/files/services/injury-prevention/tcaa-fall-resource-guide.pdf

Injury Prevention Studies show that older adults who receive fall prevention interventions during discharge planning are less likely to experience falls and subsequent injuries.