Conclusions This review provides evidence that RT has a moderate positive effect on self-reported disability/function  in old people with or at risk for disability .
The effects are strongly associated with effects on objective measures of lower body functional capacity
Background Self-reported disability has a strong negative impact on older people ’s  quality of life and is often associated with the need for assistance and health care services .
Resistance training ( RT ) has been repeatedly shown to improve muscle function ( e.g. strength ) and functional capacity ( e.g. gait speed , chair-rise ) in older adults with functional limitations .
Nevertheless , it is unclear whether such objective ly assessed improvements translate into a reduction in self-reported disability .
Objectives To assess : i ) whether and to what extent RT interventions have an effect on self-reported disability in older adults ( ≥65 years ) with functional limitations or disability ; and ii ) whether the effects on self-reported disability are associated with changes in objective measures of muscle strength and functional capacity across studies .
Progressive Resistance and Balance Training for Falls Prevention in Long-Term Residential Aged Care: A Cluster Randomized Trial of the Sunbeam Program.
BACKGROUND Falls prevention is an international priority , and residents of long-term aged care fall approximately 3 times more often than community dwellers . There is a relative scarcity of published trials in this setting . OBJECTIVES Our objective was to undertake a r and omized controlled trial to test the effect of published best practice exercise in long-term residential aged care . The trial was design ed to determine if combined high level balance and moderate intensity progressive resistance training ( the Sunbeam Program ) is effective in reducing the rate of falls in residents of aged care facilities . METHOD A cluster r and omized controlled trial of 16 residential aged care facilities and 221 participants was conducted . The broad inclusion criterion was permanent residents of aged care . Exclusions were diagnosed terminal illness , no medical clearance , permanent bed- or wheelchair-bound status , advanced Parkinson 's disease , or insufficient cognition to participate in group exercise . Assessment s were taken at baseline , after intervention , and at 12 months . R and omization was performed by computer-generated sequence to receive either the Sunbeam program or usual care . A cluster refers to an aged care facility . INTERVENTION The program consisted of individually prescribed progressive resistance training plus balance exercise performed in a group setting for 50 hours over a 25-week period , followed by a maintenance period for 6 months . OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome measure was the rate of falls ( number of falls and days followed up ) . Secondary outcomes included physical performance ( Short Physical Performance Battery ) , quality of life ( 36-item Short-Form Health Survey ) , functional mobility ( University of Alabama Life Space Assessment ) , fear of falling ( Falls Efficacy Scale International ) , and cognition ( Addenbrooke 's Cognitive Evaluation-revised ) . RESULTS The rate of falls was reduced by 55 % in the exercise  group ( incidence rate ratio = 0.45 , 95 % confidence interval 0.17 - 0.74 ) ; an improvement was also seen in physical performance ( P = .02 ) . There were no serious adverse events . CONCLUSION The Sunbeam Program significantly reduced the rate of falls and improved physical performance in residents of aged care . This finding is important as prior work in this setting has returned inconsistent outcomes , result ing in best practice guidelines being cautious about recommending exercise in this setting . This work provides an opportunity to improve clinical practice and health outcomes for long-term care residents
Conclusions This review provides evidence that RT has a moderate positive effect on self-reported disability/function  in old people with or at risk for disability .
The effects are strongly associated with effects on objective measures of lower body functional capacity
Background Self-reported disability has a strong negative impact on older people ’s  quality of life and is often associated with the need for assistance and health care services .
Resistance training ( RT ) has been repeatedly shown to improve muscle function ( e.g. strength ) and functional capacity ( e.g. gait speed , chair-rise ) in older adults with functional limitations .
Nevertheless , it is unclear whether such objective ly assessed improvements translate into a reduction in self-reported disability .
Objectives To assess : i ) whether and to what extent RT interventions have an effect on self-reported disability in older adults ( ≥65 years ) with functional limitations or disability ; and ii ) whether the effects on self-reported disability are associated with changes in objective measures of muscle strength and functional capacity across studies .