The role of Robotic Assisted rehabilitation in preventing risk of falls and improving balance
On site
Online
Information
Event
Date
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Time
08:00 – 08:45
Duration
45 min
Credits
1 CME credit
Language
English
Objectives
The intervention will present the activity carried out mostly with outpatients in the identification of the risk of falling using robotic technology and in the possible treatment of the same on a robotic platform.
Access
Provider
Klinik Barmelweid
On site
Online
As a webinar on geriatrics-update.com. You’ll receive the access link by email in advance or directly on this page.
Speaker
Associate Professor Silvia Giovannini,
Director of post-acute rehabilitation unit, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milano, Italy (IT)
Prof. Silvia Giovannini, female, born in 1978, specialist in Geriatrics (2008), PhD in Geriatric and Rehabilitation Sciences (2014). Since 2009, Prof. Giovannini has been conducting scientific research in the field of geriatric rehabilitation and, in recent years, has been involved in identifying the factors that influence the outcome of rehabilitation in geriatric patients at the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCSS. Since 2024, she has been an Associate Professor in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics.
Robotic dual-task rehabilitation reduces fall risk
Robotic dual-task rehabilitation with motor and cognitive tasks significantly reduces fall risk versus no robotic treatment, with effects evident after 4 weeks and maintained at 6 months.
Benefits occur in fallers and non-fallers
The intervention significantly reduces fall risk in previous fallers and non-fallers. Without robotic rehabilitation, non-fallers show a significant 6-month increase in fall risk, approaching the baseline risk of fallers.
Monitoring and personalization remain central
Robotic rehabilitation is most effective when combined with conventional therapy. Early, intensive, personalized treatment and continuous monitoring of fall risk, including in patients without prior falls, remain essential.
In the continuing education activity “The role of Robotic Assisted rehabilitation in preventing risk of falls and improving balance,” organized by Klinik Barmelweid, Associate Professor Silvia Giovannini presents data on robotic-assisted dual-task rehabilitation combining motor and cognitive exercises. She describes a comparative sample in which 162 patients receive robotic rehabilitation with the Hunova platform over 10 sessions, three times weekly for 30 minutes, while 193 patients undergo assessment only without robotic treatment. According to the presented results, the treatment group shows a significant intragroup reduction in fall risk after 4 weeks, and this benefit remains significant at 6-month follow-up, whereas the non-treatment group shows no improvement. Associate Professor Giovannini further stratifies participants into fallers and non-fallers based on falls in the previous 12 months and reports that robotic rehabilitation significantly reduces fall risk in both subgroups. She emphasizes that among non-fallers without treatment, fall risk increases significantly over 6 months and approaches the baseline risk observed in fallers, underlining the preventive relevance of early intervention. The presentation concludes that robotic rehabilitation is most effective when combined with conventional therapy, should be personalized, and requires continuous monitoring, including in patients without a recent fall history. In the discussion, Associate Professor Giovannini outlines future work in home-based telerehabilitation, including outpatient technological devices for combined motor and cognitive rehabilitation, with the broader aim of early screening and preventive intervention before acute clinical deterioration.
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