Effects of an Active Music Therapy Program on Functional Fitness in Community Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Health problems common among older adults living in community settings include a lack of functional fitness. Many studies have confirmed that exercises and static music therapy improve physical and psychological health problems. Exercise programs involving music have a higher frequency of attendance and motivation than other exercise programs. Active participation in active group music therapy results in better therapeutic effects. PURPOSE: This study was designed to test the effectiveness of a 3-month active group music therapy program on the functional fitness of community older adults in Taiwan. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with repeated measures was applied. A convenience cluster sample of older adults was drawn from seven senior-citizen activity centers in southern Taiwan. All participants were assigned to either an experimental group (n = 77) or a comparison group (n = 69) based on the requests of each senior center. The experimental group participated in the active group music therapy program for 3 months (twice per week and 60 minutes per session). The comparison group maintained their daily activities. Each participant's level of functional fitness was measured at baseline and at 1 and 3 months after the start of the intervention. RESULTS: Seventy-one participants in the experimental group and 62 participants in the comparison group completed the 3-month study. At the 1-month measurement, the experimental group had greater improvements in cardiopulmonary fitness, upper body flexibility, lower body flexibility, upper limb muscle power, lower limb muscle endurance, and balance than the comparison group (all ps < .05). These significant improvements persisted through the 3-month intervention (all ps < .05). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Active group music therapy is an effective complementary and alternative therapy for improving six items of functional fitness in community-dwelling older adults. Healthcare professionals may incorporate this active group music therapy program as a health promotion activity for older adults living in community settings.

Effects of hippotherapy on body functions, activities and participation in children with cerebral palsy based on ICF-CY assessments.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of hippotherapy on body functions, activities, and participation in children with CP of various functional levels by using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth (ICF-CY) checklist. METHODS: Fourteen children with cerebral palsy (CP) (3-8 years of age) were recruited for a 36-week study composed of baseline, intervention, and withdrawal phases (12 weeks for each phase, ABA design). Hippotherapy was implemented for 30 min once weekly for 12 consecutive weeks during the intervention phase. Body Functions (b) and Activities and Participation (d) components of the ICF-CY checklist were used as outcome measures at the initial interview and at the end of each phase. RESULTS: Over the 12 weeks of hippotherapy, significant improvements in ICF-CY qualifiers were found in neuromusculoskeletal and movement-related functions (b7), mobility (d4) and major life areas (d8) and, in particular, mobility of joint functions (b710), muscle tone functions (b735), involuntary movement reaction functions (b755), involuntary movement functions (b765), and play (d811) (all p < 0.05) when compared with baseline. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the beneficial effects of hippotherapy on body functions, activities, and participation in children with CP. Implications for Rehabilitation ICF-CY provides a comprehensive overview of functioning and disability and constitutes a universal language for identifying the benefits of hippotherapy in areas of functioning and disability in children with CP. In children with CP, hippotherapy encourages a more complementary approach that extends beyond their impairments and limitations in body functions, activities, and participation. The effect of hippotherapy was distinct from GMFCS levels and the majority of improvements were present in children with GMFCS levels I-III.

Self-perceived health status and sleep quality of older adults living in community after elastic band exercises.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To test the effectiveness of a six-month senior elastic band exercise programme on the self-perceived health status and sleep quality of older adults living in community settings. BACKGROUND: Health issues common among older adults living in community settings include poor physical and mental health conditions and sleep quality. Engagement in appropriate exercise programmes facilitates alleviating these health issues among older adults. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental design was applied. A convenience sample of older adults was drawn from six senior-citizen activity centres in southern Taiwan. Participants were assigned to either an experimental group (three centres, n = 97) or a control group (three centres, n = 102) based on the senior-citizen activity centres they attended. METHODS: The participants in the experimental group carried out the Senior Elastic Band exercise programme for six months (three times per week and 40 minutes per session) in addition to their daily activities. The participants in the control group maintained their daily activities. The participants' self-perceived health status and sleep quality were examined at the baseline, three-month interval and six-month interval. RESULTS: In total, 169 participants completed the six-month study: 84 constituted the experimental group and 85 constituted the control group. At the three-month interval, the participants in the experimental group had greater improvements in self-perceived physical health, overall sleep quality, sleep latency and sleep duration compared with those in the control group; these significant changes continued throughout the six-month study. CONCLUSIONS: The Senior Elastic Band exercise programme showed promising effects in improving the self-perceived physical health and sleep quality of older adults living in community settings. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare professionals can incorporate the Senior Elastic Band exercise programme as one of the health promotion activities for older adults living in community settings.

Health Promotion Outcomes of a Newly Developed Elastic Band Exercise Program for Older Adults in the Community: A Pilot Test.

BACKGROUND: Studies indicate that the incidence of disease, the mortality rate, and medical costs are significantly higher in people aged 65 years and over who do not engage in physical activities than in their peers who do engage in these activities. Therefore, promoting appropriate physical activity among older adults in the community is essential to delaying the health implications of aging. PURPOSE: This pilot test was developed to assess the effectiveness of a newly developed Senior Elastic Band (SEB) exercise program on the health of older adults in community care stations. METHODS: A quasiexperimental design was used. A convenience sample of 20 participants from a community care station was recruited. The SEB intervention included three phases (warm-up, aerobic motion, and static stretching) and was conducted three times per week, 40 minutes per session for 1 month. Twelve health indicators in three categories (functional fitness, self-perceived health status, and sleep quality) were examined before and immediately after 1 month of SEB exercises. RESULTS: Participants showed improved performance at the end of the 1-month study for the following indicators: lung capacity, cardiopulmonary fitness, upper and lower body flexibilities, upper limb muscle power, lower limb muscle endurance, and self-perceived physical health status (all ps < .05). No significant differences were identified for the other indicators. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The SEB exercise program shows preliminary and promising effects on improving the health of older adults in a community care station. Healthcare professionals who work with older adults living in the community may consider the SEB exercise program as a health promotion modality to recommend and implement with this population. However, we recommend further testing the long-term effects of this program on a larger population.