Passive and active exercises are similarly effective in elderly nursing home residents.
[Purpose] The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of passive motion exercise and active motion exercise on functional fitness in elderly nursing home residents. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-three (female 22 and male 1) nursing home residents (84.8±4.3 yr) volunteered for this study. They were divided into a passive motion exercise group (n=12) and an active motion exercise group (n=11) and performed 30-min sessions of training twice a week for 12 weeks. Functional fitness (Arm Curl, Chair Stand, Up & Go, Sit & Reach, Back Scratch, functional Reach, and 12-min Walk tests) was evaluated before and after the intervention. [Results] No significant baseline difference was noted between the groups in measured variables. Following the 12 week intervention, no significant interaction (group × time) was noted in functional fitness variables between the groups, except for the functional reach scores (active motion exercise 40%, passive motion exercise 9%). Significant improvement over time was noted in passive motion exercise group in Arm Curl (19%), Chair Stand (15%), Up & Go (6%), and 12-min Walk (12%) scores; and in the active motion exercise group in Arm Curl (14%), Chair Stand (19%), Up & Go (11%), functional Reach (40%) and 12-min Walk (13%) scores. The adherence rates in the passive and active motion exercise groups were 95.8% and 93.1% respectively. [Conclusion] Passive motion exercise and active motion exercise were found to be similarly effective for improving the functional fitness of elderly nursing home residents.
Faculty of Health Science, Suzuka University of Medical Science, Japan.
Takeshi
T
Takahashi
National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Japan.
Nobuo
N
Takeshima
Department of Human Performance Studies, Center for Physical Activity and Aging, Wichita State University, USA.
Nicole L
NL
Rogers
Department of Human Performance Studies, Center for Physical Activity and Aging, Wichita State University, USA.
Michael E
ME
Rogers
Department of Rehabilitation, Yonaha General Hospital, Japan.
Mohammod Monirul
MM
Islam
Active motion exercise; Nursing home-dwelling older adults; Passive motion exercise