59 The effectiveness of a progressive resistance exercise class for Sarcopenic hospitalised older adults

Abstract

Abstract Background Sarcopenia is common in the older inpatient population with an estimated prevalence of 22.6%. A Progressive Resistance Training (PRT) program addressing sarcopenia is recommended to counteract its adverse effects of increased falls and mortality. The delivery of exercise in the acute setting can pose a challenge for health care professionals. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a PRT exercise class for older adults in an acute setting. Methods This was an observational study using a convenience sample of older adults undergoing physiotherapy within the hospital. All participants deemed medically suitable were referred by their primary physiotherapist. Participants underwent PRT including upper and lower body exercises, twice a week. These patients also undertook regular physiotherapy outside of the class. The primary outcome measures were the five times Sit-to-Stand (5STS) and bilateral hand-grip recorded by their primary physiotherapist pre-class attendance and on their last class. Results A total of 10 participants engaged in the PRT class. 70% were male and 30% were female with and average age of 77.5 years. The average number of classes attended was 3.1. Participants demonstrated an improvement in sarcopenic measure of 5STS, median change of 7.9 seconds (interquartile range [IQR] 4.88–11.75 seconds), and grip strength, median improvement in left 0.96 kgs (IQR -3.85-5.18) and right 0.1kgs (IQR -1.55-1.68). Conclusion This PRT exercise class demonstrated an improvement in sarcopenic measures in hospitalised older adults. These results are not exclusively due to PRT class attendance however this programme is an example of an effective way to address the negative effects of sarcopenia and the identified research gap in providing exercise in the acute setting. Further research is required to examine the effect of combining nutritional education with PRT training as an intervention for older adults with sarcopenia.