Movement and mobility: a series of case studies in very old women

Introduction: Normal aging implies different physiological and functional changes. One of the most affected components is mobility whose decrease implies an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To verify in a series of cases the effects of a movement program on the mobility of very elderly individuals using daycare centers. Materials and methods: A quasi-experimental study was developed in a day-care center for elderly people in the district of Lisbon. A small sample of older adults had participated in an 8 weeks exercise training program aiming to develop general mobility. Before and after the exercise program delivered twice a week, participants were assessed relating to mobility with the Timed-up-go test (TUG), a simple and rapid test to assess mobility, agility and fall risk. Participants in this study gave their informed consent, without intervention of any element of coercion, with enough knowledge and understanding of the objectives of the study that allowed free and informed decision making. Results: Four older (81,5 ± 6,8 yr) and overweight women (28,6 ± 6,0 kg/m2) performed both assessment moments and participated in more than 75% of all the sessions. TUG time has decreased in all the participants (26,0 ±15,9%). Discussion/Conclusion: Although very older adults had difficulty and lack of motivation to participate in exercise sessions this small sample shows that even a small amount of movement delivered twice a week is beneficial for her mobility. This study should be done in a higher sample in order to verify the significance of results and allow translate interventions and results to very older populations.