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It's never too late to start
A
study carried out by Dr. Louis Bherer, PhD (Psychology), Laboratory Director
and Researcher at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (IUGM),
an institution affiliated with Université de Montréal, has shown that all
seniors, even those considered frail, can enjoy the benefits of exercise in
terms of their physical and cognitive faculties and quality of life and that
these benefits appear after only three months.
This
discovery is excellent news, as increased life expectancy has also increased
the number of frail seniors in our communities.
In
geriatrics, frailness is characterized by decreased functional reserves in an
individual, which increases vulnerability to stressors and the risk of adverse
health effects. Frailty is associated with a higher risk of falls,
hospitalizations, cognitive decline and psychological distress. Currently, 7%
of seniors aged 65 to 74, 18% of those aged 75 to 84, and 37% of seniors over
the age of 85 are considered frail.
"For
the first time, frail senior citizens have participated in a study on exercise
thanks to the collaboration of medical doctors at IUGM, who provided close
medical supervision. My team was able to demonstrate that sedentary and frail
senior citizens can benefit from major improvements not only in terms of
physical function but also brain function, such as memory, and quality of
life," stated Dr. Bherer.
"We
hope to adapt the exercise program used in the study and make it available to
the public through the seniors' health promotion centre that the IUGM is
developing. We believe that by transferring our research findings to the
public, we will help both healthy and frail senior citizens stay at home
longer," concluded the researcher.
Research
summary
In
this study, 43 of the 83 participants between the ages of 61 and 89 years, some
of whom were considered frail, took part in group exercises (3 times a week for
12 weeks), while the control group of 40 participants did not follow the
exercise program. All participants were evaluated one week before the start of
the program and at the end of the program for physical capacity, quality of
life and cognitive health. Compared to the control group, trained participants
showed larger improvement in physical capacity (functional capacities and
physical endurance), cognitive performance (executive functions, processing
speed and working memory) and quality of life (overall quality of life,
recreational activities, social and family relationships and physical health).
Most importantly, benefits were equivalent among frail and non-frail
participants suggesting that there is't never too late to engage in exercise
intervention programs.
###
The findings
were published online on the Web site of the Journals of Gerontology Series B:
Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences:
F.
Langlois, T. T. M. Vu, K. Chasse, G. Dupuis, M.-J. Kergoat, L. Bherer. Benefits of Physical Exercise Training on
Cognition and Quality of Life in Frail Older Adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, 2012; DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbs069
More information
Celia
Tanner & Oanh Vu from the Multi
Media Service of Westmead Hospital, NSW has designed 15 gentle exercises for
frail elderly people. You can view these exercises via this LINK.
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