Feasibility of Implementing a Tai Chi Program in an Assisted Living Facility: Reducing Fall Risks and Improving Quality of Life
Autor: | Rachel Trelstad-Porter, Yingying Chen, Olga V Gurvich, Deborah R Ringdahl |
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Rok vydání: | 2021 |
Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Tai Chi Chuan Quality management lcsh:Medicine Falls in older adults functional status Tai-ji Fear of falling Proxy (climate) Article postural balance falls movement older adults aged law.invention 03 medical and health sciences 0302 clinical medicine Quality of life Randomized controlled trial law medicine 030212 general & internal medicine business.industry lcsh:R Attendance General Medicine Test (assessment) Physical therapy medicine.symptom business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
Zdroj: | Journal of Clinical Medicine Journal of Clinical Medicine; Volume 10; Issue 6; Pages: 1277 Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol 10, Iss 1277, p 1277 (2021) |
ISSN: | 2077-0383 |
Popis: | One in four American older adults fall every year, resulting in injuries, death, and significant financial burden. Although fall etiology is multifactorial, the medical problems and aging factors that lead to unsteady gait and imbalance represent one of the major fall risks among older adults. A growing number of research studies support the health benefits of regular Tai Chi (TC) practice including improved physical, cognitive, and psychological function. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess the feasibility of establishing a 12-week (45 min per session) Tai Chi (TC) program (Sun Style Tai Chi) in a 75 bed assisted living facility as well as to evaluate the potential of the TC program to improve the fear of falling and functional mobility (as proxy for fall risk) and quality of life (QoL). A nurse who was a certified TC instructor taught the program. Twenty-three participants, 96% female and 96% white, mean (SD) age 83 (±7) years, attended one or more TC classes. Class attendance, self-reported questionnaires (e.g., fear of falling, QoL), and objective measure Timed Up and Go (TUG) were used to collect data. Nine participants (39%) completed 9 out of 12 sessions. Eleven participants (48%) completed both pre- and post-intervention measurements and twelve (52%) provided feedback on a post-intervention satisfaction survey. Participants showed 20% improvement in fear of falling (mean relative change) and 21% decrease (mean relative change) in TUG test (p = 0.001) with no clinically important changes in QoL. This quality improvement project suggested that TC is a feasible exercise that might have the potential to reduce risk of falls in older adults, and the program was well accepted with no serious or other adverse events reported. Further research studies are needed to examine the potential effects of TC programs with an appropriately powered RCT and longer intervention period. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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