The multi-component exercise intervention composed by strength , endurance and balance training seems to be the best strategy to improve rate of falls , gait ability , balance , and strength performance in physically frail older adults
The aim of this review was to recommend training strategies that improve the functional capacity in physically frail older adults based on scientific literature , focusing specially in supervised exercise programs that improved muscle strength , fall risk , balance , and gait ability .
Two years later: a prospective long-term follow-up of a training intervention in geriatric patients with a history of severe falls.
OBJECTIVE To study the long-term outcome of a physical training regimen of ambulant postward rehabilitation in community-dwelling geriatric patients with a history of injurious falls . DESIGN Prospect i ve 2-year follow-up of a r and omized placebo-controlled intervention trial . SETTING Postward rehabilitation in a geriatric hospital in Germany . PARTICIPANTS Fifty-seven geriatric patients ( mean age , 84.3+/-4.4 y ) with a history of severe falls . INTERVENTION Ambulatory training of strength , functional performance , and balance 3 times a week for 3 months for 31 patients versus placebo activities for 26 patients . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Strength , functional performance , fall-related psychologic parameters , and physical activity assessed by st and ardized protocol s 2 years after the training intervention , compared with baseline results . RESULTS Motor performance decreased substantially in both groups . As patients in the intervention group declined from significantly improved motor performance levels achieved in the initial training intervention , differences between the groups were still significant in most functional performances 2 years later . Functional decline was greater in persons who were institutionalized or being cared for by family members . Physical activity , which increased during the exercise intervention , returned to low baseline levels . CONCLUSIONS Improved functional performance in the training group did not lead to an increased level of physical activity after training , which might have preserved the functional improvements . In mobility-restricted , frail , geriatric patients such as our study population , training programs should continue to keep patients active and to prevent the decline in strength and functional performance that precedes loss of autonomy
The multi-component exercise intervention composed by strength , endurance and balance training seems to be the best strategy to improve rate of falls , gait ability , balance , and strength performance in physically frail older adults
The aim of this review was to recommend training strategies that improve the functional capacity in physically frail older adults based on scientific literature , focusing specially in supervised exercise programs that improved muscle strength , fall risk , balance , and gait ability .