Is sitting time leading to mobility decline in long-term care residents?

Exploring the Attendance and Potential Benefits of Reducing Sitting Time for Residents in a Canadian Long-Term Care Setting: A Pilot Study

“…Many factors can explain these declines, but one is excessive amounts of sedentary behaviour (DiPietro, 2001). Sedentary behaviour composes a large proportion of daily time, especially in long term care settings 89% (Lee et al, 2020), and is defined as a prolonged bout of time spent in a sitting or reclined posture (Pate et al, 2008). Spending such a large amount of time sedentary is concerning, as it is associated with undesirable health conditions, a decline in functional abilities, and increased mortality risk among aging adults (Copeland et al, 2017; Rosenberg et al, 2016).…”

“…To our knowledge, no intervention has attempted to reduce sitting time in long term care settings. In a recent study conducted by our group in a long-term care setting concluded that 89 % of the day was spent performing sedentary activities (Lee et al, 2020).…”

Is High-Speed Resistance Training an Efficient and Feasible Exercise Strategy for Frail Nursing Home Residents?

“…1,2 In fact, nursing home residents who need assistance or are totally dependent on help to transfer might remain seated for more than 20 hours. 30 During this period, patients are vaguely stimulated, so that, as in the case presented, their most frequent activities include watching TV, talking to friends, or napping. 31 Such pattern of sedentary behavior is similar to that observed in patients after fractures because muscles persist inactive in shorted positions for long periods, leading to significant loss of sarcomeres in series and increase in the content of connective tissues, contributing to substantial reduction in muscle length and flexibility.…”

“…Low physical activity levels are a common behavior in LTIs, 30 and a cardinal characteristic of frail patients. 1,2 In fact, nursing home residents who need assistance or are totally dependent on help to transfer might remain seated for more than 20 hours.…”

Study protocol of a cluster-randomised controlled trial assessing a multimodal machine-based exercise training programme in senior care facilities over 6 months – the bestform study (best function of range of motion)

“…Physical inactivity is common in older adults, especially when living in senior care facilities [ 4 ], and is responsible for a deterioration in physical performance. One example for impaired physical performance is a reduction of gait speed, which is a determinant to be able to perform daily tasks and to maintain independent [ 5 – 7 ].…”