Aging and Balance

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations among Canadian seniors, affecting 20-30% of this population each year. Winter brings additional risks for falls. Another risk factor relates to aging when the systems in our body that help with balance (like the vestibular system in the inner ear) don’t work as well.

I asked Jordan King to share his current research project at the University of Calgary using very mild electrical stimulation of the vestibular system to try to improve balance.

Jordan is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Calgary. CALL members will recognize Jordan from his presentation for Health & Wellness about Aging and Balance in March, 2025.

Jordan, please tell us about your studies to date - first with your undergraduate and master degrees in the Faculty of Kinesiology.

I started university as a business student because I was unsure of what I wanted to do. After doing a summer placement as an accountant and treasurer for an oil and gas firm, I realized very quickly that this was not where my interests or passions were. I wanted to work with people and be involved in something more active and meaningful to me. I grew up in competitive gymnastics and coached for many years, so I naturally found myself drawn toward kinesiology.

Once I switched into the Faculty of Kinesiology, everything clicked. I finally felt like I belonged in what I was studying. I was drawn toward anatomy, neuroscience, and biomechanics because they helped me understand why the body works the way it does. Those subjects opened my eyes to the gaps that exist in rehabilitation and in our understanding of human movement. It became clear to me that there are many ways to help improve people’s lives using what we know about the body and the nervous system.

After my undergraduate degree, I began a master’s project in the same neurophysiology lab where I had completed my honours thesis. I switched over from the Faculty of Kinesiology to Schulich School of Engineering where I am now doing Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in Wearable Technology. Our lab studies how the nervous system supports balance and movement. Very early in my degree, I fast tracked from a master’s into a PhD, so I never completed the master’s program. Instead, I shifted into a PhD project that built on the same foundation but expanded it into something much larger.

Outside of my research, I teach anatomy to a wide range of groups. I also work with the anatomy department in the medical school where I help prepare the specimens used for medical students and other learners. Teaching is one of my favourite parts of what I do. It ties into something that is very important to me, which is knowledge translation. Information has no value if it cannot be understood or used by the people who need it. Whether I am teaching seniors, university students, or gymnasts, I focus on breaking complex ideas down into meaningful and practical concepts.The project that eventually became my PhD started as a question about whether a scientific technique used to test the vestibular system could be transformed into something therapeutic. At first, it sounded almost unbelievable. Could delivering a gentle electrical stimulus behind the ears actually help someone improve their balance? Taking on the project felt like a gamble because I knew that if it did not work, I would be committing years of my life to something with no real benefit. Fortunately, right from the start we saw promising results, and that is what pulled me deeper in. I saw what this could become, from fall prevention to helping people with vertigo to even supporting astronauts when they return to Earth. That potential has shaped the rest of my degree.

What led to your interest in technologies that can improve daily living for seniors?

A major influence for me was my grandparents. I saw how committed my grandma was to staying active and maintaining her mobility. She goes to the gym three times a week, works on her balance, and takes pride in being independent. Watching her made it clear how powerful physical activity can be for preventing the conditions that often come with aging. It also showed me how important it is for older adults to feel confident in their bodies as they get older.

Once I started running my research in senior homes, my interest in this area grew even more. I loved working with all of my participants. They came from a huge range of backgrounds and had so many life experiences to share. I received great advice from them, had meaningful conversations, and saw firsthand how engaged they were with the work we were doing. Many of them embraced the technology far more easily than they expected.

One moment that stood out was when a participant who had just moved into her senior home joined the study. She did not know anyone yet. Through participating in the study, she made friends right away. Others in the home also bonded over participating together, comparing experiences, and supporting each other. It created a small community. Seeing how technology could support not only physical health but also social connection made this field feel even more meaningful to me.

You are currently completing your Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. Please describe your focus and the project you are working on.

My research focuses on a technique called electrical vestibular stimulation, or EVS. The vestibular system is the balance center inside the inner ear. It tells you how your head is moving, helps keep your posture steady, and works together with your vision and sense of body position. EVS uses a very gentle electrical signal placed behind the ears to activate this system. It is completely non-invasive and safe, and the goal is to help improve balance or reduce dizziness.

In the lab, EVS has traditionally been used to study how the vestibular system works. If someone stands still with their eyes closed and feet together, and you deliver a small electrical current, you can make them lean slightly one way or the other. This happens because we are activating the brain circuits that help maintain upright posture. This background is what made us wonder whether this same stimulation could help improve balance over time.

Electrical stimulation is already used for many other treatments, including deep brain stimulation and nerve stimulation for different disorders. However, long term EVS for balance is still very new and only a few studies existed when I started. My project was one of the first to look at whether repeated EVS sessions could improve balance in older adults. The early results were very promising.

Another part of my research involves wearable movement sensors. In our study, we placed a small sensor behind the ear to track head movement down to the millisecond. These sensors can detect motion in all directions. With them, we can look at how someone balances with incredible precision. Using this data, we are working to estimate how much someone relies on their vision, their sense of body position, or their vestibular system to stay upright.

For context, there is a large and very expensive robot that can measure these balance contributions accurately, but it is not portable and not available in most clinical settings. Our goal is to see whether we can extract similar information from a single small sensor during simple standing tests. If we can identify which part of someone's balance system is not working well, it opens the door for targeted rehabilitation. For example, vision problems can be helped by an eye doctor. Body awareness and lower limb function can be trained with physical activity. If the vestibular system is impaired, this is where EVS may play a role.

The future directions of my research also include broader applications. We are beginning to explore whether EVS can help treat vertigo, which currently relies mostly on medications that make people very drowsy and are not ideal for long term use. We are also studying whether the technology could help people with motion sickness. Another major application is in space medicine. After astronauts return from space, their balance is severely affected for months. EVS may help speed up their recovery. As space travel becomes more common, there is growing interest in how to protect the balance system during and after spaceflight.

As you look to the future what applications do you see for technology providing prevention, early diagnosis and personalized treatment.

Preventing a fall is far more effective than treating one afterward. Technologies that monitor changes in balance, stepping patterns, or pressure on the feet can reveal early warning signs.

Some examples include:

• Footwear sensors for people with reduced sensation in their feet, such as those with diabetes. These sensors can warn someone if they are putting too much pressure on one area and risking injury.
• Smartwatches and other wearable devices that track heart rate, breathing patterns, and sleep quality. These can help identify concerns such as sleep apnea or irregular heart rhythms.

Personalized stimulation therapies

Electrical vestibular stimulation may one day be tailored to each person, similar to how glasses are prescribed.

• Someone with chronic vertigo might receive a specific pattern of stimulation to help stabilize their symptoms.
• Someone recovering from illness, injury, or spaceflight might use stimulation to strengthen their balance during rehabilitation.

Home-based monitoring

Although this is not the main focus of my own work, many research groups are developing systems that detect changes in walking, posture, or cognition within the home environment. Some tools use cameras or room sensors to recognize changes before a person notices them. These can help clinicians intervene earlier and support safe aging at home.

Bridging generational and technological gaps

Knowledge translation is a major part of success for any technology. Seniors often adapt very well to technology when it is explained clearly and designed to be user friendly.

There are also programs that are looking at pairing seniors with younger adults. For example, reduced rent for students who live with and support older adults. These arrangements help reduce social isolation and create natural opportunities for technology support, conversation, and shared learning.

Current Barriers

Cost and access remain major barriers. Devices must be affordable and intuitive. If a tool is not easy to use or if individuals require too much training, it will not be adopted widely. Successful technology for older adults must be designed with the end user in mind. The average person should be able to pick it up, understand it, and use it independently after simple instruction.

Looking to the Future

I am working closely with a company, Neursantys Inc. to develop this technology into a wearable device so that it can be used outside of the lab. When we first began this project, it existed only as an idea, but that idea has now moved into real development. We have partnered with another company in Toronto, Cortex Design Inc., that is helping design and manufacture the devices. Throughout the past few years, we have tested different versions with our participants to learn what is most comfortable, practical, and easy to wear. The goal is to create something that can be used in clinics to help improve balance for older adults and eventually support other conditions such as vertigo or motion sickness. We are excited about how quickly this technology is moving from research into something that may soon be available for real world use. And lastly, none of this would even be possible without the support that Neursantys has given for this project. I am truly grateful for all of these experiences.

Author

Maureen retired from her career -- first as a Gerontological Nurse and then a Marriage/Family Therapist in private practice working with mid-life and older adults. Maureen has published numerous articles and books, related to her professions. She is a member of CALL because she is passionate about learning. She is a volunteer with CALL, doing social media and the primary author of the blog, because she likes to face new challenges.

Guest Author

Jordan King is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Calgary, specializing in wearable technology and the neuroscience of balance. His research focuses on electrical vestibular stimulation, a gentle and non-invasive technique that interacts with the balance centres of the brain to improve stability, reduce fall risk, and support conditions such as vertigo and motion sickness.

Jordan King,  PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering
at the University of Calgary

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Resources

A primary cause of balance decline is age-related changes in the vestibular balance organs in the inner ear, which in turn disrupt the entire balance system.

Neursantys Inc.

Neursantys is a pioneer in the development and application of wearable bioelectronic devices and adaptive neuroplastic treatments to restore motor and cognitive functions that have been impaired by both normal aging and accelerated aging caused by head trauma, disease, and spaceflight.

NOTE. Neursantys is one of the cohort of outstanding start-ups selected by the  AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP Accelerator in 2025.

Videos

Neursantys Intro - The Problem

Neursantys Product Demo

Neurvesta

Neurvesta Image provided by Neursantys: used with permission

References

Jordan A. King, Noah Walters, Nadine Rodrigues, et al.
Electrical vestibular stimulation to improve static balance in older adults: a randomized control trial.

Ralston, JD, King, JA, Rempel, J. Peters RM. 
Wearable Bioelectronic Balance Restoration in Older Adults
AGE-WELL 2023 Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, October 24-26, 2023

The Best Longevity Habit You're Not Thinking About
Matt Fuchs
Time Mar 7, 2025

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