The Effect of a Comprehensive Intervention Program on the Functional Status and Bone Density of the Socially-Vulnerable and Frail Elderly

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to provide a disease management, nutrition education, and group exercise program for three months to the moderately frail elderly whose physical functions have deteriorated, and to investigate its effects in order to develop an intervention program. METHODS: As a quasi-experiment, this study was conducted based on non-equivalence studies designed as a similar experiment. The milk intake group and calcium intake group participated in the disease education, individual nutrition education, and group exercise program for three months, and the control group was visited once in the three months by a nurse who provided disease education, nutrition education, and oral instruction of exercise, and asked them to exercise on their own every day. For the data analysis, χ2-test, ANOVA and Scheffé test were used. RESULTS: After three months of intervention, there was a significant difference in the frailty level (p=.029) and bone density (p=.001) between the groups. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive intervention program had an effect on the bone density and the frailty level of the socially-vulnerable and moderately frail elderly, suggesting that the program can be used as a nursing intervention to prevent functional deterioration and damage of the moderately frail elderly.