Every year, about a third of the elderly population ages 65 years and older go through at least one fall, and one-half of them experience falling more than once.  A fall is life-changing, especially for the elderly.  This could sometimes result to a drastic change in the quality of life of the individual brought about by disability and increasing dependency.

Fractures may result, and the most common is a broken hip bone. All of a sudden, what used to be routine activities cannot anymore be performed without assistance – walking around the house becomes a burden and bathing becomes an avoided chore.

According to the National Institute on Aging (NIH), exercise coupled with regular physical and eye checkups can help reduce one’s risks for falls.  Modification of an elderly person’s environment – such as making sure that tripping hazards are out of the way – can help.

Exercise in tune with the Music

Dr. Andrea Trombetti, from Geneva, Switzerland’s University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, and colleagues carried out a randomized controlled trial for a period of six months, where they incorporated a multitask exercise program that is music-based.  The aim of the study is to determine whether or not such exercise program would result to improvements in balance and gait of elderly people.  It also wanted to find out if the program can help reduce fall risks in community-dwelling elderly adults. The study enrolled 134 older adults, aged 65 years old and more, and who were are great risk of falling.  96 percent of the participants were women and the mean age was at 75.5 years.

In the study, the 134 adults were assigned randomly to one of two groups:  an intervention group which received a music-based multi-task exercise program, and the control group which received delayed intervention.  During the first to the sixth months, participants in the intervention group joined in an exercise program, conducted one hour per week, guided by an instructor.  The program incorporated multitask exercises which included various movements that poses a challenge to a person’s balance and control, gradually progressing to more difficult movements over time.  Some of the exercises asked the participants to walk in time to the music of the piano as well as respond to the changes in the rhythm of the music.  For the seventh to twelfth months, the same multi task exercise program was also given to the delayed intervention control group.  Meanwhile, adults who belonged to the intervention group resumed normal exercise activities.

Results of functional and balance tests revealed improvement in the intervention group, as compared to the participants who belonged to the control group. For the early intervention group, fewer falls were observed and there was a lower rate of falling. The early intervention group had 66 people, and the recorded number of falls was 24.  For the group who received delayed intervention, a number of 54 falls was recorded. Older adults who were in the delayed intervention control group had the same changes in the entire six months while they are enrolled in the music-based multi-task exercise program. The results will be available on the Archives of Internal Medicine journal.

Exercise Prevent Falls

The authors of the study discovered that performing one task each time (single-task condition) resulted to an increase in the walking speed and stride length of adults who belonged to the intervention group, as compared to their control group counterparts. Their stride time variability was also enhanced.  Meanwhile, the intervention group doing multiple tasks all at the same time (dual-task condition) also brought about an increase in stride length but decreased stride length variability. This is also compared to those who belonged to the control group.  Furthermore, the advantages of the intervention on enhancing gait variability persisted and were still evident six months later.

The authors concluded that participating in music-based multitask exercise programs even for just one day a week for a period of six months can help enhance gait performance under single and dual task conditions.  It also improves balance and reduces the risk and the rate of falls especially for at-risk community-dwelling older adults.  Moreover, the authors suggested that the program may be of help in the prevention of falls as well as in the community-based rehabilitation programs for senior citizens.

The Benefits of Exercise for the Elderly

Very much like the young individuals, the elderly can surely gain from the many benefits that exercise brings.  Improvements in one’s mobility, coordination, balance and strength will surely make life a lot easier, especially for the aged population whose quality of life may significantly deteriorate with immobility.

Older people who have regular exercise were found to have healthier lungs, lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), enhanced tolerance for glucose, greater sensitivity to insulin, increased bone density, and greater strength and reaction time coupled with a reduced risk of falls.

Other health benefits of exercise for the elderly include:

• Enhanced immune system
  Elderly people who perform regular exercise are less prone to sickness brought about by viruses and other forms of infection, and if they do get sick, the recovery time is significantly reduced.
  
  
• Enhanced mobility
  Exercise helps promote healthy joints.  T his prevents joint deterioration which could only worsen the performance of activities of daily living.  Exercise is especially beneficial for patients with arthritis as this will help improve mobility.
  
  
• Aids in weight loss
  At a time when the opportunity to be sedentary is very tempting, it is important to remember that the lack of physical activity places an older person at high risk of obesity since the metabolism has slowed down.  Obesity is one of the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and stroke.  Exercise helps keep the weight down, more so if it is coupled with healthy diet.
  
  
• Promotes Brain Health
  Exercise helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease by enhancing the brain’s functions.
  
  
• The release of endorphins causes people to be more happy and contented.
  
  
• Improves social interaction
  Studies have shown that elderly people who exercise regularly obtain great benefits out of the interacting with other people their age, and this greatly enhances their self-esteem.
  
  
• Those who exercise regularly have reported better, and deeper, sleep.

Sources
free-online-health.com
hivehealthmedia.com
eurekalert.org