Simple physical activity can keep seniors more agile
Posted on: 29/Sep/2016 9:44:07 AM
A new study conducted by researchers from the Yale University has said that simple physical activity helped high-risk seniors stay mobile after disability-inducing ailments.
Say experts, Once you lose that mobility piece of your life, then you really lose independence. If you start to have problems, you have a greater ability to recover and get your functioning back.
Speaking about this, the researchers said, We were targeting folks who potentially had the most to gain. The study compared seniors assigned to a regular walking program, plus a little strength and balance exercise, with a control group given health education. Over 3½ years, the walking program reduced the amount of time seniors spent suffering from a major mobility problem by 25 percent, the researchers reported in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The walkers were less likely to experience a mobility-robbing condition in the first place, more likely to recover if they did and less likely to suffer another one. While the walking didn`t replace any necessary physical therapy, too often seniors leave the hospital more debilitated than when they entered. The goal was to get them walking again as soon as possible. The study shows many sedentary seniors can start walking safely, no gym membership needed - just a safe place such as a sidewalk or shopping mall. Those who were physically active were less likely to be injured in a fall. There were six more deaths among the walkers over the course of the study, a difference that wasn`t statistically significant.
