Exercise and Social Activity Improve Everyday Function in Long-Term Care Residents

Objectives This study examined the effects of high-intensity resistance strength training and walking (E), individualized social activity (SA), and resistance training and walking combined with social activity (ESA) on everyday function in long-term care (LTC) residents and explored the relationship between change in everyday function and change in sleep. Design The study used data from The Effect of Activities and Exercise on Sleep, a randomized controlled trial. Setting Residential LTC facilities. Participants A total of 119 participants who had measures of everyday function and sleep at baseline and postintervention. Interventions The E group exercised 5 days a week. The SA group was involved in social activities 5 days a week. The ESA group received both E and SA interventions. The usual care (UC) control group participated in usual activities. Measurements Everyday function was measured by the Nursing Home Physical Performance Test. Nighttime sleep was measured by attended polysomnography. Results The UC and SA groups showed a decline in everyday function, whereas the E and ESA groups showed improvement. There were statistically significant differences between the groups, with pairwise comparisons showing significant improvements in the ESA group over the SA group (95% confidence interval, −3.94 to −0.97) and the UC group (95% confidence interval, −3.69 to −0.64). No relationship was found between change in everyday function and change in sleep. Conclusion Seven weeks of high-intensity resistance strength training and walking, combined with individualized social activities (ESA), improved everyday function among LTC residents, independent of change in sleep.