Interventions to promote mobility and quality of life in nursing homes: A systematic review.
Benjamin Bohn, Steve Strupeit
PMID 36840677WHAT IT FOUND
Exercise and movement programmes for nursing home and assisted living residents mostly did not improve quality of life, although many improved mobility or balance.
Do not assume getting residents moving alone will make them feel better.
Key findings
01Nine of the included studies showed that an intervention could increase different mobility parameters.
02Only four studies described an increase in quality of life as an outcome.
03Progressive resistance and balance training reduced the rate of falls and increased physical performance, but had no effect on quality of life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The review searched only three databases, only English and German publications, and only studies from January 2010 to September 2021, so it may have missed relevant studies. It excluded studies of people with specific illnesses or specific needs, such as dementia, so the results may not apply to those residents. The included studies used many different mobility and quality-of-life measures, so the results are hard to compare. Several included studies had small samples, with sample sizes between 15 and 36 participants in some studies, which limits confidence in the results. Risk of bias was not low in all studies: only four studies described blinding, five described loss to follow-up below 20%, and four performed sample size calculation. Where interventions combined components, such as aerobic exercise, strength training and health education, or strength and balance exercises, the review does not show which component produced the effect.
Declared interests
No specific grant funding was reported, and the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read improved mobility as proof that residents' quality of life improved. Only four studies described an increase in quality of life, and many interventions had no significant effect on it.