Mobility Decline Prevention
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Modules - Mobility Decline Prevention
Effects of an Exercise and Scheduled-Toileting Intervention on Appetite and Constipation in Nursing Home Residents
Sandra F. Simmons and John F. Schnelle, 2004, in Journal of Nutrition, Health, and Aging; 8(2):116-121.
If nursing homes offer incontinent residents daily exercise and frequent toileting assistance will the residents increase their consumption of food and fluids? Findings from this controlled, clinical intervention trial suggest they will not. The study enrolled 89 incontinent residents in two nursing homes. For half the residents, research staff provided exercise and toileting assistance every two hours, four times per day, five days a week for 32 weeks. The other residents, the control group, received usual care. At the end of 32 weeks, the intervention group showed significant improvements or maintenance across all measures of daily physical activity, functional performance, and strength compared to the control group. But there were no differences between the two groups in the amount of food and fluids consumed. Both groups consumed an average of 55% of all meals, with no change over time. There was also no change in the frequency of bowel movements in either group. The authors suggest that a feeding assistance intervention aimed specifically at increasing mealtime consumption may be more effective than physical exercise in helping residents maintain and increase weight.
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