Effect of a pilates program on the functional and cognitive capacity of a collective of institutionalized fragile octogenaries. Pilot study

Abstract

Background: Life expectancy has increased in recent years, so the frailty syndrome has also increased in institutionalized older people. Physical exercise programs are a useful tool to combat this syndrome. Objective: to verify the effects of a Pilates program adapted to octogenarians and nonagenarians on functional capacity, and cognitive status, in addition to assessing its adherence rate, participation rate and safety and tolerability Methods: 25 older people were recruited Frail institutionalized patients (88.20 ± 5.77 years of age) who participated in a chair-based exercise program based on the Pilates Method for 12 weeks (24 sessions).The viability of the program, functional capacity (Timed up and Go test and Barthel’s Index) and cognitive status (Pfeiffer’s Index) were evaluated before and after the intervention. Results: An improvement / stabilization trend was shown for the Bathel and Pfeiffer Index, and a significant improvement was reflected for theTimed up and go test. Conclusion: It can be suggested that the Pilates Method adapted for institutionalized fragile octogenarians is a viable and safe tool for the practice of physical activity. In addition, the results presented show positive short-term effects on the improvement of functional capacity, and the stabilization of the level of dependence and cognitive impairment.