A Nordic multi-center study on physical and daily activities for residents in nursing home settings: design of a randomized, controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
Nursing home residents constitute a frail, multi-diseased and heterogeneous group. As physical activity is essential for the preservation of function, personalized training and activities are of great importance. The main objective of this study was to describe the influence of an individually tailored intervention program, in a nursing home setting, on physical capacity, degree of dependence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), long-term participation in physical and/or daily activities, and self-rated wellbeing. The aim of the present work is to describe the overall design of the study.


METHODS
Nursing homes in Sweden, Norway and Denmark were involved, and 322 residents were randomized to either Intervention or Control groups. The intervention lasted for three months and consisted of physical and daily activities, led by physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and was built on their evaluations and on the goals expressed by each resident. Tests of muscle strength, mobility, balance function and confidence, ADL, level of physical activity, wellbeing and cognitive function were performed at baseline, directly after the intervention period and three months later.


RESULTS
They will be presented in articles to follow.


CONCLUSIONS
Although it is a great challenge to carry out an intervention study directed toward such a frail population, it is of great interest to find out whether individually tailored and enhanced activities can lead to decreased dependence in ADL and increased wellbeing.
Frändin
Kerstin
K
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Stockholm, Sweden. kerstin.frandin@ki.se
Borell
Lena
L
Grönstedt
Helena
H
Bergland
Astrid
A
Helbostad
Jorunn L
JL
Puggaard
Lis
L
Andresen
Mette
M
Granbo
Randi
R
Hellström
Karin
K
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003718:Denmark; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D009042:Motivation; D009664:Norway; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D026761:Physical Therapy Specialty; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden