Exercising regularly would be beneficial for the physical health of elderly nursing home residents, especially when the frequency is between 110 and 225 minutes per week.
- Physical activity among elderly people in nursing homes would be beneficial for their health.
- The best results are obtained with a frequency of 110 to 225 minutes per week of physical activity.
- Scientists recommend nursing homes to offer this type of activity more systematically and regularly to their residents.
As of December 31, 2019, 594,700 elderly people were accommodated in accommodation establishments for dependent elderly people (Ehpad), according to the Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics Department (Dress). According to the same source, “half of the people received in [les Ehpad] are 88 years and 7 months or older and only 18% are under 80 years old.”
Physical exercise and its benefits in the elderly
At this age, it is very important to do physical activity. Its regular practice can limit the decline and improve the physical condition of seniors. Researchers therefore wanted to measure more precisely the impact of exercises on the health of elderly residents of nursing homes. Their work has been published in the journal The Lancet.
For this, the scientists carried out a meta-analysis by bringing together several studies – 147 in total, with 11,609 participants aged 67 to 92 – already done on this subject. These were works that assessed the benefits of physical exercises compared to only usual care on the physical abilities of nursing home residents. Functional independence, physical performance, muscular strength and balance were measured in particular.
Do more physical exercise in nursing homes
Results: Participants who exercised regularly had better physical abilities than those who received only usual care. The greatest improvements were obtained with a frequency of between 110 and 225 minutes of exercise per week. Furthermore, the researchers noted no difference between the types of exercises, which are all beneficial for the elderly.
On the strength of their conclusions, the scientists recommend nursing homes to offer this type of activity more systematically to their residents.
