PRT had a large positive effect on strength ( 41 trials , 1955 participants ) , but there was statistical heterogeneity that was not explained by differences in study quality , participant characteristics or the exercise program .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS PRT appears to be an effective intervention to increase strength in older people and has a positive effect on some functional limitations .
However , the effect of this intervention on more substantive outcomes such as measures of disability or HRQOL remains unclear .
BACKGROUND Muscle weakness in old age , is associated with physical disability and an increased risk of falls .
Progressive resistance strength ( PRT ) training exercises ( i.e. movements performed against a specific external force that is regularly increased during training ) are design ed to increase strength in older people .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of PRT on measures of physical disability , functional limitation and impairment in older people  , and identify adverse events .
A randomized trial of exercise programs among older individuals living in two long-term care facilities: the FallsFREE program.
OBJECTIVE To use two different exercise programs over a 2-year period to reduce falls and their sequelae among residents of two long-term care facilities . DESIGN R and omized , controlled trial . SETTING The study took place at two long-term care facilities with services ranging from independent living to skilled nursing . PARTICIPANTS One hundred and ten participants whose average age was 84 and who were capable of ambulating with or without assistive devices and could follow simple directions . INTERVENTION Participants were r and omized to one of two exercise groups ( resistance/endurance plus basic enhanced programming or tai chi plus basic enhanced programming ) or to a control group ( basic enhanced programming only ) . Exercise classes were held three times per week throughout the study . MEASUREMENTS Participants were evaluated for cognitive and physical functioning at baseline and 6 , 12 , and 24 months . Falls were determined from incident reports filed by the nursing staffs at the facilities . RESULTS Time to first fall , time to death , number of days hospitalized , and incidence of falls did not differ among the treatment and control groups ( P>.05 ) . Among all participants , those who fell had significantly lower baseline Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination and instrumental activities of daily living scores and experienced significantly greater declines in these measures over the 2-year program . CONCLUSION There were no significant differences in falls among the two exercise groups and the control group . Lack of treatment differences and low adherence rates suggest that residents of long-term care facilities may require individualized exercise interventions that can be adapted to their changing needs
PRT had a large positive effect on strength ( 41 trials , 1955 participants ) , but there was statistical heterogeneity that was not explained by differences in study quality , participant characteristics or the exercise program .
REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS PRT appears to be an effective intervention to increase strength in older people and has a positive effect on some functional limitations .
However , the effect of this intervention on more substantive outcomes such as measures of disability or HRQOL remains unclear .
BACKGROUND Muscle weakness in old age , is associated with physical disability and an increased risk of falls .
Progressive resistance strength ( PRT ) training exercises ( i.e. movements performed against a specific external force that is regularly increased during training ) are design ed to increase strength in older people .
OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of PRT on measures of physical disability , functional limitation and impairment in older people  , and identify adverse events .