The Effects of a Home-Based Exercise Program on Functional Performance in the Frail Elderly: An Update

Etiology and modification of gait instability in older adults: a randomized controlled trial of exercise

“…Older men and women were recruited from the Greater Boston Area to participate in a randomized controlled, 6-mo clinical trial designed to study the effects of home-based exercise on functional status (63). The protocol and consent forms were approved by the Tufts University Human Investigation Review Committee, and all study subjects provided informed written consent.…”

“…Subjects in the exercise group were given a 6-mo, home-based exercise program that focused on progressive strength and balance training with encouragement to increase overall aerobic and physical activity (63). The exercise program was designed 1) to follow the standards and target levels recommended by the American Council for Sports Medicine; 2) to modify three major components of physical capacity that have been related to function and mobility: strength, balance, and exercise capacity; 3) to mimic, to the degree possible, the laboratory-based interventions that successfully improved strength, balance, and function in similar populations; 4) to be simple to learn and performed by functionally impaired older adults at home; and 5) to provide opportunities for increasing the intensity of the exercise and a range of levels (12,26,46,62,63). An exercise trainer came to the home to instruct the subject on how to safely and properly perform the exercises.…”

“…Functional status and physiological capacity. The effects of the exercise on functional status and physiological capacity are described in detail elsewhere (63). Briefly, compared with the control group, the exercisers significantly improved dynamic balance and performance-based measures of functional status after par-ticipating in the 6-mo, multimodal exercise program.…”

Home physical exercise improves functional mobility and quality of life in the elderly: A CONSORT‐prospective, randomised controlled clinical trial

“…Furthermore, these issues are worsened by physical inactivity, which is associated with negative repercussions on their overall health. 10,11 Previous studies have shown the use of specific physical exercise programmes that have proven to significantly improve the strength, balance and functional mobility of elderly, even at more advanced ages. Regular practice of these exercises has also been proven to improve QOL.…”

“…Regular practice of these exercises has also been proven to improve QOL. 10,12,13 However, even if physical exercise has been proven to be beneficial to the elderly, there is still low adherence to this strategy. This reduced adherence may be related to extraneous factors, such as locomotive difficulties, poor functional mobility, or non-adaptation to the environment where the exercises are performed.…”