Discussion
PD, balance deficits, deficit in balance dysfunction, balance impairments
Telerehabilitation is now commonly used for patients with PD, but there are several unknown aspects of its efficacy, both for the assessment and treatment of balance deficits in people with PD. In addition, studies on balance telerehabilitation (separate from virtual reality) for people with PD are scarce. For telerehabilitation to be effective, both assessment and treatment should be able to be completed virtually. The TelePD Trial targets both virtual assessment and treatment for balance problems in people with PD.Regarding assessment, no virtual comprehensive balance assessment has been conducted pre and post-telerehabilitation in people with PD [Regarding treatment, effective balance rehabilitation requires precise targeting of the impaired domain in order to ultimately treat the underlying deficit in balance dysfunction [The TelePD trial is designed to determine the usefulness of using wearable sensor-based measures of balance and gait remotely to assess balance, the feasibility and efficacy of balance telerehabilitation in people with PD, and the translation of balance improvements after telerehabilitation to daily-life mobility. The successful implementation of the TelePD Trial will shed further light on balance telerehabilitation interventions for people with PD. The long-term goal of this project is to develop an effective, virtual balance assessment and evidence-based treatment that can be used in any older adult with balance impairments.