Two types of exercise programme for institutionalised older people may preserve the ability to perform some activities of daily living
- 1Physiotherapy Department, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria, Australia
- 2Allied Health Clinical Research Unit, Southern Health, Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia
Functional decline among institutionalised older adults
Decline in ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) among institutionalised older adults is a widely observed phenomenon. Although many may feel that functional decline is inevitable among this group, it is possible that sedentary behaviour accelerates this process and that decline can therefore be addressed through physical activity programmes.1
Tai Chi or ‘cognition-action’ to mitigate functional decline
Dechamps and colleagues described a randomised controlled trial (n=160) comparing two activity programmes with a usual care control condition among older, mobile aged-care residents. Physical activity programmes have previously shown benefit for improving physical function among institutionalised older adults,1 …
