Timing And Coordination Exercises Improve Mobility vs Usual Care in Older Adults
A recent study showed that the On the Move exercise program, which consists of timing and coordination exercises aimed at improving gait speed and walking distance, helps improve mobility in older adults.
Adding more complex exercise programs to elderly patients’ usual routine can improve flexibility, build strength, and increase endurance, which can translate to more independent living.
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To further explore this possibility, the researchers evaluated adults aged 65 years or older living in 32 independent living facilities, senior apartment buildings, and senior community centers. Participants were a mean age of 80 years and had a mean 2.8 chronic conditions.
Participants were randomly assigned to participate in either the On the Move program (n = 152) or usual care (n = 146), which consisted of seated strength, endurance, and flexibility exercises. All participants were able to ambulate independently with a gait speed of at least 0.60 m/s, were able to follow 2-step commands, and were medically stable.
Exercise classes lasted 50 minutes and took place twice a week for 12 weeks. Each class had 10 or fewer participants. In the On the Move program, participants engaged in warm-up, timing and coordination (stepping and walking patterns), strengthening, and stretching exercises. In the usual-care program, participants engaged in warm-up, strength, endurance, and stretching exercises.
The researchers defined the primary outcomes as self-reported function and disability via the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument and mobility via 6-minute walk distance and gait speed assessment.
Intervention groups were similar based on baseline characteristics. Following each intervention, 142 (93.4%) participants in the On the Move group and 139 (95.2%) participants in usual care group had completed testing.
Results indicated that On the Move participants demonstrated greater mean improvements in gait speed and 6-minute walk distance, compared with usual care participants. However, attendance was higher among usual care participants (n = 95) vs On the Move participants (n = 76).
“The On the Move group exercise program was more effective at improving mobility than a usual-care exercise program, despite lower attendance,” the researchers concluded. “Additional research examining the impact of the intervention on long-term disability outcomes is needed before recommending routine implementation into clinical practice.”
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
Brach JS, Perera S, Gilmore S, et al. Effectiveness of a timing and coordination group exercise program to improve mobility in community-dwelling older adults: a randomized clinical trial [Published online August 14, 2017]. JAMA Intern Med. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.3609.