Abstract

Background : Falling is a main cause of mortality in elderly. Low balance is a major health problem among older adults restricting their activity in daily life. Balance training can help elderly to prevent falls. Furthermore, exercising in water media can reduce their limitations to do balance training rather than on non-water media.Goal : To describe the influence of hydrotherapy towards body balance among elderly in Panti Wredha Tresna Wredha Pucang Gading SemarangMethod : A quasi experimental pre/post study with a control group was applied as the design of this research. The data were analyzed by Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney. 31 elderly women (65-80) years old were randomized into intervention group (n=16) and control group (n=15). Static and dynamic balance was examined before and after 4 weeks of training by using BBS (Berg Balance Scale) test. Result : There was a significant difference on body balance before and after hydrotherapy (p=0.028)Conclusion : The result confirms that hydrotherapy can improve balance abilities and it is useful to prevent falls in elderly. Hydrotherapy is recommended to be an SOP to prevent fall risk of elderly living in community.