title: A controlled trial of exercise by residents of old people's homes.
abstract: Regular exercise is widely advocated for the young and middle-aged, but less is heard about its relevance to elderly people. This study reports the findings of a controlled trial of seated exercise in residents of local authority homes for the elderly. Forty-nine residents aged 64-91 years volunteered for the 7-month project, and participated in either twice-weekly exercise or reminiscence sessions. Primary outcome measures were postural sway, flexibility of the spine and knees, hand-grip strength and functional capacity. The average (range of) attendance at the exercise sessions was 91% (64-100%), and at the reminiscence sessions was 86% (46-100%). By the end of the project, the change observed in the exercise group was significantly different from that of the reminiscence group in terms of grip strength (p < 0.02), spinal flexion (p < 0.001), chair-to-stand time (p < 0.001), activities of daily living (p < 0.05), and self-rating of depression (p < 0.01). Even very elderly residents of old peoples homes can benefit from participation in regular seated exercise and improve their functional capacity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: McMurdo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rennie
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010807:Physical Endurance; D010809:Physical Fitness