Exercise program provides multiple benefits to nursing home residents

In a Journal of the American Geriatrics Society study of residents at nursing homes, those who participated in a six-month program of individualized and progressive multicomponent exercise at moderate intensity experienced fewer falls than those in a control group that participated in routine activities.

Also, after the program, there was a lower prevalence of frailty and fewer deaths in the intervention group compared with the control group.

The intervention consisted of one-hour supervised group training sessions twice a week for a six-month period and involved individualized strength and balance exercises. Walking recommendations were also individually tailored in duration and intensity.

"Further research is needed to ascertain whether those who engage in this kind of individualized program ultimately die with better function and lower dependency," the authors wrote.