Frail institutionalized older persons: a comprehensive review on physical exercise, physical fitness, activities of daily living, and quality-of-life

The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review on training outcomes influencing physical fitness, activity of daily living performance, and quality-of-life in institutionalized older people. We reviewed 27 studies on older people (age, ≥70 yrs) in long-term care facilities and nursing homes. Our ultimate goal was to propose criteria for an evidence-based exercise protocol aimed at improving physical fitness, activity of daily living performance, and quality-of-life of frail institutionalized older people. The interventions, described in the reviewed studies that showed strong or very strong effect sizes were used to form an exercise prescription. The conclusion is that there is firm evidence for training effects on physical fitness, functional performance, activity of daily living performance, and quality-of-life. The training should contain a combination of progressive resistance training, balance training, and functional training. The proposed intensity is moderate to high, assessed on a 0-10 scale for muscle strengthening activities. The training frequency was three times a week, and the total duration was at least 10 wks. PMID:20881587 doi: 10.1097/PHM.0b013e3181f703ef