Authors (including presenting author) :
Lee PLJ(1), Ng YTC(2), Wan KYK(1)(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Occupational Therapy Department, TWGHs Fung Yiu King Hospital
(2) Occupational Therapy Department, MacLehose Medical Rehabilitation Centre
Introduction :
Sarcopenia is an age-related condition characterized by the loss in muscle mass, strength and physical performance. It is positively associated with falls and fractures in elderlies (Yeung et al., 2019). Sedentary lifestyle resulting from sarcopenia creates a vicious cycle and will further increase the fall risks. The causes of fall are multifactorial and should be managed with the involvement of the person, activities and the environment.
Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) is an evidence-based fall prevention program. The balance and strength activities are incorporated into the daily tasks and routine through specific instructions on the assigned daily functioning activities. For example, performing tandem stand while brushing teeth. The specific LiFE activities are embedded within their home environment and carried on as a home program, and thus change their habits and increase their activity participation.
A modified LiFE program with four training sessions has been piloted in Geriatric Day Hospital (GDH) in FYKH as a fall prevention program for patients with probable sarcopenia since September 2021.
Objectives :
A pilot study to examine the applicability and effectiveness of LiFE program in GDH
Methodology :
A within-group pretest-posttest design was employed in this pilot study.
Subjects were GDH patients (1) identified with probable sarcopenia; (2) with Modified Barthel Index (MBI) scored 90 or above; (3) with Montreal Cognitive Assessment 5-minute protocol scored above the 16th percentile cutoff; (4) with no acute medical problems; and (5) with stable mood.
Outcome measures were MBI, Lawton IADL-Chinese Version Scale (Lawton IADL-CV), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC-C Scale).
Result & Outcome :
From September to December 2021, ten subjects aged between 67 and 90 completed the training, and two other subjects withdrew from the program. There were significant improvements in MBI (t=2.667, p=0.026), Lawton IADL-CV (t=2.862, p=0.019) and SPPB (t=4.045, p<0.01), but no significant difference in ABC-C Scale (t=-0.867, p=0.409). There were improvements shown in the lower extremity functioning and overall functional performance of the patients. The modified program is applicable in GDH setting. Further studies with larger sample size and longer follow-up period are recommended to examine the effectiveness and long term effects of LiFE program in reducing the fall rate of GDH patients.
