Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 Jun;20(6):468-76.
doi: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e318246b807.

Exercise and social activity improve everyday function in long-term care residents

Rebecca A Lorenz  1 , Nalaka Gooneratne, Catherine S Cole, Morton H Kleban, Gurpreet K Kalra, Kathy C Richards
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Exercise and social activity improve everyday function in long-term care residents

Rebecca A Lorenz et al. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2012 Jun.

Abstract

Objectives: This study examined the effects of high-intensity resistance strength training and walking (E), individualized social activity (SA), and resistance training and walking combined with social activity (ESA) on everyday function in long-term care (LTC) residents and explored the relationship between change in everyday function and change in sleep.

Design: The study used data from The Effect of Activities and Exercise on Sleep, a randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Residential LTC facilities.

Participants: A total of 119 participants who had measures of everyday function and sleep at baseline and postintervention.

Interventions: The E group exercised 5 days a week. The SA group was involved in social activities 5 days a week. The ESA group received both E and SA interventions. The usual care (UC) control group participated in usual activities.

Measurements: Everyday function was measured by the Nursing Home Physical Performance Test. Nighttime sleep was measured by attended polysomnography.

Results: The UC and SA groups showed a decline in everyday function, whereas the E and ESA groups showed improvement. There were statistically significant differences between the groups, with pairwise comparisons showing significant improvements in the ESA group over the SA group (95% confidence interval, -3.94 to -0.97) and the UC group (95% confidence interval, -3.69 to -0.64). No relationship was found between change in everyday function and change in sleep.

Conclusion: Seven weeks of high-intensity resistance strength training and walking, combined with individualized social activities (ESA), improved everyday function among LTC residents, independent of change in sleep.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00888706.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Fried LP, Ferrucci L, Darer J, Williamson JD, Anderson G. Untangling the concepts of disability, frailty, and comorbidity: implications for improved targeting and care. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2004;59:255–263. - PubMed
    1. Harper Ice G. Daily life in a nursing home: Has it changed in 25 years? J Aging Stud. 2002;16:345–359.
    1. Forster A, Lambley R, Hardy J, et al. Rehabilitation for older people in long-term care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009:CD004294. - PubMed
    1. Richards KC, Lambert C, Beck C, et al. Strength training and walking exercise and social activity improve sleep in nursing home and assisted living residents: randomized controlled trial. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2011;59:214–223. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Binder EF, Miller JP, Ball LJ. Development of a test of physical performance for the nursing home setting. Gerontologist. 2001;41:671–679. - PubMed

Publication types

Associated data