Physical and cognitive functions deteriorate with ageing. Therefore, activities requiring simultaneous physical and cognitive function are especially challenging for older people, like walking on a busy street.  The overall objective of this study is to investigate, in 70-85-year-old community-dwelling sedentary men and women, whether the combination of physical and cognitive training has greater effects on walking speed than physical training only. The effects of the interventions on falls will also be investigated. The physical training intervention, comprising individually targeted progressive supervised training sessions and home exercises, will last for 12 months. Half of the participants takes also part in the cognitive computer-based training (CT) targeting working memory and different components of executive functions.

The study will be conducted in 2016–2020.

Funding
Academy of Finland

Research group
Principal Investigator
Professor Sarianna Sipilä, sarianna.sipila@jyu.fi, Gerontology Research Center, Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä

Markku Alén, Professor, University of Jyväskylä
Katja Kokko, Research Director, University of Jyväskylä
Jenni Kulmala, Senior Researcher, Principal Lecturer, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences
Pia Laukkanen, Doctor, D.Med.Sc., University of Jyväskylä
Taina Rantanen, Professor, University of Jyväskylä
Sanna Sihvonen, Principal Lecturer, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences
Elina Sillanpää, Senior Researcher, University of Jyväskylä
Anna Tirkkonen, Project Reseacher, University of Jyväskylä
Timo Törmäkangas, PhD, Statistician, University of Jyväskylä

Collaborators
Karolinska Institutet (Miia Kivipelto)
University of Eastern Finland and Department of Neurology, Kuopio University Hospital (Tuomo Hänninen)
Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, and Sarcopenia Laboratory, Tufts University, USA (Roger Fielding)
Jyväskylä Centre for Interdisciplinary Brain Research and Department of Psychology, University of Jyväskylä (Tiina Parviainen)