Benefits of home-based rocking-chair exercise for physical performance in community-dwelling elderly women: a randomized controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
Home-based exercise is a viable alternative for older adults with difficulties in exercise opportunities outside the home. The aim of this study was to investigate the benefits of home-based rocking-chair training, and its effects on the physical performance of elderly women.


METHODS
Community- dwelling women (n=51) aged 73-87 years were randomly assigned to the rocking-chair group (RCG, n=26) or control group (CG, n=25) by drawing lots. Baseline and outcome measurements were hand grip strength, maximal isometric knee extension, maximal walking speed over 10 meters, rising from a chair five times, and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The RCG carried out a six-week rocking-chair training program at home, involving ten sessions per week, twice a day for 15 minutes per session, and ten different movements. The CG continued their usual daily lives. After three months, the RCG responded to a mail questionnaire.


RESULTS
After the intervention, the RCG improved and the CG declined. The data showed significant interactions of group by time in the BBS score (p=0.001), maximal knee extension strength (p=0.006) and maximal walking speed (p=0.046), which indicates that the change between groups during the follow-up period was significant. Adherence to the training protocol was high (96%). After three months, the exercise program had become a regular home exercise habit for 88.5% of the subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Results indicate that home-based elderly women benefit from this easily implemented rocking-chair exercise program. The subjects became motivated to participate in training and continued the exercises. This is a promising alternative exercise method for maintaining physical activity and leads to improvements in physical performance.
Niemelä
Kristiina
K
Kauniala Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for War Veterans, Kauniainen, Finland. kristiina.niemela@suomi24.fi
Väänänen
Ilkka
I
Leinonen
Raija
R
Laukkanen
Pia
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015444:Exercise; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D016852:Housing for the Elderly; D006801:Humans; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*