Maintaining daily living activities in older adults: The impact of a functional exercise program in long-term nursing homes. A single-group pre-post intervention.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a function-focused multicomponent exercise program on long-term nursing home (LTNH) residents' ability to maintain activities of daily living (ADL), physical performance, cognitive function, quality of life, and frailty.

Methods: This multicenter single-group pre-post quasi-experimental study involved 148 participants from 16 LTNHs in Gipuzkoa, Spain. Participants underwent a twice-weekly, 6-month function-focused multicomponent exercise program and were assessed both before and after the intervention.

Videoconference-Supervised Group Exercise Reduces Low Back Pain in Eldercare Workers: Results from the ReViEEW Randomised Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To assess the effects of a group exercise intervention conducted by real-time videoconference on the low back pain of eldercare workers.

Methods: We randomly assigned 130 eldercare workers to an experimental group (EG: n = 65) or control group (CG: n = 65). Participants from both groups took part in routine prevention programs carried out in their workplace, and participants from the EG received an additional 12-week resistance-exercise intervention supervised by real-time videoconference.

Physical activity, sleep, and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A one-year longitudinal study of Spanish university students.

The objective of this longitudinal study was to analyze changes in physical activity, sedentary time, sleep, anxiety, mood, and perceived health as a result of COVID-19 pandemic in a cohort of Spanish university students, both during the home confinement and one year after. Additionally, we analyzed the associations between physical activity, sedentary time, and other measured parameters. Data were collected through two online questionnaires that included the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and self-reported anxiety, mood, and perceived health levels before, during and one year after home confinement.

Effects of a videoconference-based therapeutic exercise intervention on the musculoskeletal pain of eldercare workers: protocol for the ReViEEW randomized controlled trial.

Background: Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain is high among eldercare workers, and therapeutic exercise has shown to be effective for its management. Although telerehabilitation is an increasingly used alternative for delivering therapeutic exercise, no studies have assessed synchronous group telerehabilitation interventions for the management of musculoskeletal disorders. Thus, the aim of this article is to describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial that will assess the effects of a videoconference-based group therapeutic exercise intervention on the musculoskeletal pain of eldercare workers.

A Statistical Parametric Mapping Analysis Approach for the Evaluation of a Passive Back Support Exoskeleton on Mechanical Loading During a Simulated Patient Transfer Task.

This study assessed the effectiveness of a passive back support exoskeleton during a mechanical loading task. Fifteen healthy participants performed a simulated patient transfer task while wearing the Laevo (version 2.5) passive back support exoskeleton.

Effects of multicomponent and dual-task exercise on falls in nursing homes: The AgeingOn Dual-Task study.

Objective: To compare the effects of a multicomponent exercise program and a dual-task exercise program on the number of falls (fall rate) and number of fallers (fall incidence) and on parameters associated with fall risk in older adults living in long-term nursing homes (LTNH).

Study Design: This is a secondary analysis of a single-blind randomized controlled trial involving 85 older adults in nine LTNHs (Gipuzkoa, Spain). Participants allocated to the multicomponent group underwent a twice-a-week 3-month individualized and progressive resistance and balance program.

Videoconference-Based Physical Performance Tests: Reliability and Feasibility Study.

Validated tools to evaluate physical performance remotely with real-time supervision are lacking. We assessed test−retest and inter-rater reliability, as well as the feasibility of carrying out the five-repetition sit-to-stand (5RSTS), kneeling push-up (KPU) and Shirado−Ito trunk flexor endurance (SIF) tests by 1:1 real-time videoconference. We also evaluated the correlation of these tests with measures of self-reported physical fitness, physical activity, health state and pain.

Improving the Identification of Frailty in Long-Term Care Residents: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: To compare the capacity of blood myostatin concentration and physical, cognitive, and affective function tests to predict frailty among long-term care (LTC) residents.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis used baseline data from three randomized controlled trials involving 260 older adults in 14 LTC centers. Serum myostatin levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Replacing Sedentary Behavior With Physical Activity of Different Intensities: Implications for Physical Function, Muscle Function, and Disability in Octogenarians Living in Long-Term Care Facilities.

Background: We investigated the associations of replacing sedentary behavior (SB) with physical activity of different intensities on the physical function of octogenarians living in long-term care facilities.

Methods: This pooled study recruited 427 older adults aged 80 years and older (69.1% female; body mass index: 27.

Effects of an individualized and progressive multicomponent exercise program on blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition in long-term care residents: Randomized controlled trial.

This study analyzed the effects of an individualized and progressive multicomponent exercise program on blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition in long-term care residents. This was a single-blind, multicenter, randomized controlled trial performed in 10 long-term care settings and involved 112 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to a control group or an intervention group.

Serum Sestrin-1 Concentration Is Higher in Frail than Non-Frail Older People Living in Nursing Homes.

Given the increasing prevalence of frailty and its implications for public health, the identification of biomarkers to detect frailty is essential. Sestrin-1 is a protein with a protective role in muscle function. This study aimed to determine whether the serum sestrin-1 concentration differed between frail and non-frail populations and to investigate its association with frailty-related variables in 225 older women and men living in nursing homes (Gipuzkoa, Spain).

High serum angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 activity as a biomarker of frailty in nursing home residents.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) are two of the main components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Imbalanced RAS showing lower ACE2 has been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, muscular pathologies, sarcopenia, frailty, other age-related pathologies and a poorer health status. However, its role in aging remains unclear.

The Nutritional Status of Long-Term Institutionalized Older Adults Is Associated with Functional Status, Physical Performance and Activity, and Frailty.

Among older adults living in long-term nursing homes (LTNHs), maintaining an adequate functional status and independence is a challenge. Whilst a poor nutritional status is a potential risk factor for a decreased function in this population, its role is not fully understood. Here, using a transversal multicenter study of 105 older adults living in 13 LTNHs, we analyzed the associations between nutritional status, as measured by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and the parameters of functional status, physical performance, physical activity, and frailty as well as comorbidity and body composition.

Nutritional status and physical performance using handgrip and SPPB tests in hospitalized older adults.

Background & Aims: Malnutrition and poor physical performance are highly prevalent within hospitalized older adults, and both have in common the loss of muscle mass. Likewise, there is growing interest in identifying markers of physical performance, other than just measuring muscle mass, that might be useful for managing malnutrition. This study aimed to (i) characterize the physical condition of hospitalized older adults in comparison to previously published reference percentile values of same age adults and (ii) to examine the association between the nutritional status and physical performance of older inpatients.

Use of a passive lumbar back exoskeleton during a repetitive lifting task: effects on physiologic parameters and intersubject variability.

This study evaluated the effects of wearing the Laevo v2.56 exoskeleton (Laevo, The Netherlands) on physiological parameters related to working load and metabolic cost (MC) during a lifting task, explored the variability in exoskeleton performance among users and determined whether perceived discomfort negatively correlates with a reduction in MC. Twenty participants completed a 4-min repetitive lifting task with/without the exoskeleton.

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical and psychoaffective health of older adults in a physical exercise program.

COVID-19 lockdowns restricted physical activity levels for individuals in many countries. In particular, older adults experienced limited access to their usual activities, including physical exercise programs. How such restrictions and interruptions in physical exercise programs might impact the physical and mental health of older adults has not yet been studied.

[Women over 65 years of age performing supervised physical exercise: Differences in physical capacity, physical activity and quality of life according to walking speed].

Introduction: Walking speed (WS) is an easy, quick and inexpensive measure that could be used to discern between older people with greater and lesser function and thus individualize physical exercise programs.

Objectives: To analyze the differences in physical capacity, physical activity, and quality of life in people over 65years of age who attended a physical exercise program according to their WS and age.

Methods: 55 women (mean age: 76.

Effects of a Multicomponent Exercise Program on Groups of Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Low Schooling: A Pilot Study.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a multicomponent exercise program on the physical and hemodynamic functions of community-dwelling older adults with low schooling levels in relation to simple multicomponent group exercises. Twenty-one older people were randomly assigned to two groups: G1 ( = 11) and G2 ( = 10); sixteen of whom completed the sixteen sessions over a six-week period, three times a week. During eight sessions, G1 performed adapted dual-task multicomponent exercises (strengthening, balance, and cognition) and G2 simple multicomponent exercises (strengthening and balance), and both groups engaged in eight additional sessions of simple multicomponent exercises.

Low serum klotho concentration is associated with worse cognition, psychological components of frailty, dependence, and falls in nursing home residents.

Serum alpha-klotho (s-klotho) protein has been linked with lifespan, and low concentrations of s-klotho have been associated with worse physical and cognitive outcomes. Although its significance in aging remains unclear, s-klotho has been proposed as a molecular biomarker of frailty and dependence. This study is a secondary analysis of data from a clinical trial performed in a population of 103 older individuals living in 10 nursing homes in Gipuzkoa (Spain).

Loss of benefits after cessation of exercise interventions in nursing home residents: randomized controlled trial follow-up.

Exercise interventions improve physical fitness, cognitive and affective function, and quality of life among nursing home residents. However, little is known regarding the consequences of cessation of activity, or detraining. We analyzed physical fitness, physical activity level, cognitive function, quality of life, and loneliness during a 6-month observational follow-up after a 6-month randomized controlled trial in which nursing home residents performed either routine activities (control group) or group-based exercise (intervention group).

Impact of COVID-19 Confinement on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour in Spanish University Students: Role of Gender.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, entire populations were instructed to live in home-confinement to prevent the expansion of the disease. Spain was one of the countries with the strictest conditions, as outdoor physical activity was banned for nearly two months. This study aimed to analyse the changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviours in Spanish university students before and during the confinement by COVID-19 with special focus on gender.

Overground Robotic Program Preserves Gait in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis and Moderate to Severe Impairments: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To determine how overground robotic (OR) training added to ongoing rehabilitation affects gait speed, lower extremity function, functional mobility, and fatigue in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and moderate to severe gait impairments.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Outpatient setting at the Multiple Sclerosis Association of Bizkaia, an association serving MS patients in Bizkaia, Spain.

Determinants of participation in a post-hospitalization physical exercise program for older adults.

Background: Older patients often experience a decline in physical function and cognitive status after hospitalization. Although interventions involving physical exercise are effective in improving functional performance, participation in physical exercise interventions among older individuals is low. We aimed to identify factors that contribute to exercise refusal among post-hospitalized older patients.