Mobility Decline Prevention
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Modules - Mobility Decline Prevention
FIT VS. GROUP EXERCISE
An hour per resident per day! That's too much, you balk. And we agree, it's a lot. But we can't figure out how to reduce the time costs any further, and as we stated earlier, we know of no other exercise intervention that works as well, or just plain works at all, with such an impaired population.
On the bright side, consider that FIT offers residents not only exercise, but also incontinence care, which your CNAs need to provide in any case. As a result, it not only increases mobility and physical activity, but also keeps residents drier.
Still, it's worth considering group exercise programs as an alternative to FIT. Some of these have been shown to work with more ambulatory, less cognitively impaired residents (3). In our experience, however, "group exercise" for residents with severe cognitive impairments is a misnomer. Yes, you can gather these residents in a group, but they are unlikely to accomplish much unless you work one-on-one with each individual.
Bear in mind that, while group exercises are more time-efficient than FIT, they are still time-consuming. Figure that sessions for groups of about 10 fairly ambulatory residents should be offered 3-5 times per week, with each session lasting 30-45 minutes. This does not include travel time, which as we've seen in the FIT breakdown, can add up quickly. Also consider that these exercise-only sessions do not include toileting assistance for incontinent residents.
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