From the Lab to the Real World: Program to Improve Elderly Mobility Feasible in Community

Immobility in one's senior years can lead to lower independence and quality of life and increased risk for falls and chronic disease, reports Newswise . In the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) study, researchers determined that a regular program of structured physical activity performed in the clinical setting could reduce mobility loss in older men and women. In a pilot study conducted at the Somerville Council on Aging in Somerville, Mass., researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University for the first time attempted to translate the physical activity benefits of the LIFE clinical trial to a community senior center setting. The pilot study revealed that bringing the physical activity intervention from a controlled clinical environment into a community-based setting for seniors, with minimal study exclusions, was both safe and feasible. Participants who attended at least 25 percent of the scheduled weekly physical activity classes showed sustained improvements in their mobility over the six-month program. The researchers also noted that the physical activity program was associated with increases in executive cognitive function and a significant reduction (approximately 60 percent) in the occurrence of falls.