Health-Related Quality of Life Improvement in Residential Care Facilities’ Elders through a Physical Activity Program

Epidemiological data show that people are living longer. This change carries opportunities for people but also the increased need of residential care facilities (RCFs) for older adults who require care that cannot be taken at home. The entry in RCFs is a delicate moment, in which maintaining autonomy is essential, along with promoting physical and mental health. The aim of this work was to evaluate the perceived quality of life (QoL)-related variables in RCFs residents at the baseline and after a 6-week physical activity (PA) intervention, to explore its possible role in improving the older adults’ perceived QoL. Overall, 108 residents belonging to seven Italian RCFs were enrolled. The Short-Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaire was used to assess the Physical Component Score (PCS) and Mental Component Score (MCS). To evaluate the residents’ attendance at PA, questions about weekly frequency of PA performed were included, analyzing data also considering the presence of a kinesiologist as a member of the RCF team. After baseline assessments, a 6-week PA intervention conducted by a kinesiologist was implemented in 2 RCFs and then the same variables considered at the baseline were reevaluated. As expected, the residents’ PCS resulted inversely related to their age. The individual PA attendance and the MCS were greater in older adults living in RCFs where a kinesiologist was present. Moreover, the higher adherence at individual and group PA was related to higher MCS only. After the 6-week PA intervention, a greater RCFs residents’ attendance at individual PA and a high frequency in group activities were shown. Furthermore, the program improved both MCS and PCS of the participants. Data suggest the strong impact of PA, structured by an expert, in increasing the health-related variables in RCFs’ older residents, especially the mental sphere of the perceived QoL. These beneficial effects were shown particularly with the twice-a-week program.