Effect of a psychomotor training program on hand function in nursing home residents: a pilot study
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2018
Abstract:
In elderly people, hand and upper limb function are essential to maintain independence in the activities of daily
living. Living in nursing homes, due to 24h nursing assistance, reduces the amount of activities autonomously
performed by the residents, hence supports the physiological age-related decline of the upper limb and hand
function. Benefits of physical activity have been well-documented and are universally accepted; however, to the
best of our knowledge, the effect of a structured physical activity on the quality of hand and upper limb function
has never been investigated in elderly nursing home residents. Fourteen nursing home residents were recruited
and randomly assigned to either a control (CG) or experimental (EG) group. The CG subjects did not modify
their current activities and treatments, whereas the EG subjects engaged in a 3-month exercise program (3
sessions per week) focused on improving upper limb and hand function. Before and after the intervention,
manual and finger dexterity were assessed by means of the Jebsen-Taylor hand functional test and the Nine-hole
Peg test, respectively. After the intervention, manual dexterity significantly improved (p<0.05; Wilcoxon test) in
both dominant and non-dominant hand of EG participants, whereas manual dexterity of CG and finger dexterity
of EG and CG participants did not change (p>0.05; Wilcoxon test), regardless of the hand used. Only delta score
(i.e. the difference between the results after and before intervention) of non-dominant manual dexterity improved
significantly (p<0.05; Mann-Whitney U Test) in the EG compared to CG participants. Moreover, each test for
both limbs showed improvement trends for EG, whereas CG had mostly either no trend or a decline of
performance. Therefore, structured physical activity seems to improve hand and upper limb function of elderly
nursing homes residents. However, additional studies with larger sample size are needed to confirm the results of
the present study.
living. Living in nursing homes, due to 24h nursing assistance, reduces the amount of activities autonomously
performed by the residents, hence supports the physiological age-related decline of the upper limb and hand
function. Benefits of physical activity have been well-documented and are universally accepted; however, to the
best of our knowledge, the effect of a structured physical activity on the quality of hand and upper limb function
has never been investigated in elderly nursing home residents. Fourteen nursing home residents were recruited
and randomly assigned to either a control (CG) or experimental (EG) group. The CG subjects did not modify
their current activities and treatments, whereas the EG subjects engaged in a 3-month exercise program (3
sessions per week) focused on improving upper limb and hand function. Before and after the intervention,
manual and finger dexterity were assessed by means of the Jebsen-Taylor hand functional test and the Nine-hole
Peg test, respectively. After the intervention, manual dexterity significantly improved (p<0.05; Wilcoxon test) in
both dominant and non-dominant hand of EG participants, whereas manual dexterity of CG and finger dexterity
of EG and CG participants did not change (p>0.05; Wilcoxon test), regardless of the hand used. Only delta score
(i.e. the difference between the results after and before intervention) of non-dominant manual dexterity improved
significantly (p<0.05; Mann-Whitney U Test) in the EG compared to CG participants. Moreover, each test for
both limbs showed improvement trends for EG, whereas CG had mostly either no trend or a decline of
performance. Therefore, structured physical activity seems to improve hand and upper limb function of elderly
nursing homes residents. However, additional studies with larger sample size are needed to confirm the results of
the present study.
Tipologia CRIS:
1.1 Articolo in rivista
Keywords:
aging; psychomotor training;
Elenco autori:
Federici, A; CONTEDUCA BENEDETTA, R; Lucertini, F; Dell'Anna, S; FERRI MARINI, C; Vetri, M
Link alla scheda completa:
Pubblicato in: