01.01.2015
Improvements of around 18% in tests measuring balance and 32% in muscular strength have been achieved.
The main benefits are the reduction in the risk and number of falls.
Every year 150 Basques over the age of 64 die after suffering a fall in the home
(Donostia-San Sebastian, April 14, 2015). In its aim to achieve the maximum welfare of people in their aging process, Matia Fundazioa has launched an innovative program that seeks to strengthen muscles and improve the balance of the elderly. It is a multicomponent physical exercise program that combines strength training, endurance, balance and walking. This type of exercise improves the gait pattern and allows the elderly to gain in functional capacity, stability and confidence, thus reducing the risk and number of falls.
Participation in the program begins with a medical assessment by a geriatric specialist and a series of functional and cognitive assessments that are repeated at the end of the program to check the degree of improvement achieved.
The Matia Fundazioa program has a duration of 3 months at a rate of 1 hour twice a week. In each session the participants perform balance exercises (balance mat and individual exercises) and other exercises on a machine in which muscular strength is worked. All this under the supervision of a physiotherapist.
So far, 11 people have participated in this program and the results obtained are satisfactory. There have been improvements of around 18% in tests measuring balance and 32% in muscular strength.
The background
According to statistics, every year 150 Basques over 64 years of age die after suffering a fall at home, so the need for the use of preventive measures to reduce the risk and number of falls, and to improve balance and gait is evident.
The fact is that with aging, the functional capacity of the neuromuscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems begins to decrease progressively, leading to a risk of increased frailty. The decrease in the quantity and quality of muscle mass, the progressive deterioration of the neuromuscular system, reductions in strength and especially muscle power, together with the loss of function is one of the main factors influencing the decrease in the ability to remain independent in the community and is at the origin of disability.
The average estimate of muscle mass loss after the age of 60 is 2 kg in men and 1 kg in women, but only 10 days of bed rest in an elderly person can cause a loss of 1.5 kg of muscle mass, mainly in the lower limbs, which are essential for steady walking.
The benefits of physical exercise in aging and specifically in situations of frailty are very important. It has been proven that increased physical activity in the elderly reduces the risk of mortality, prevalent chronic diseases, institutionalization and functional deterioration.
The most beneficial type of physical exercise in the frail elderly is the so-called multicomponent exercise, which combines strength, endurance, balance and gait training. The objectives when prescribing physical exercise in the frail elderly should therefore focus on improving functional capacity through improvements in balance and gait, and consequently reducing the risk and number of falls.