The multicomponent outpatient strength training program did not improve autonomy in expert-evaluated ADL/IADL functions.

When frail older people become acutely ill, they are at increased risk of further functional deterioration and rehabilitation is needed to restore functioning. The effects of an out-patient multicomponent training program including strength training after hospitalization were studied in a randomized controlled trial. Sixty-eight women (mean age 83.0 +/- 3.9 years) who were hospitalized due to an acute illness and were mobility impaired at admission were randomized into training (N = 34) and home exercise (N = 34) groups. Maximal voluntary isometric strength of knee extension and hip abduction, dynamic balance, and maximal walking speed were measured before and after the 10-week training period, and 3 and 9 months after the end of the intervention. After the intervention, significant improvements were observed in the training group compared to the home exercise group in the maximal voluntary isometric knee extension strength (20.8% vs. 5.1%, P= 0.009), balance scale (+ 4.4 points vs. -1.3 points, P= 0.001) and walking speed (+ 0.12 m s-1 vs. -0.05 m s-1, P= 0.022). Effects on knee extension and hip abduction strength, balance and walking speed were observed 3 months later, and some effects on hip abduction strength (9.0% vs. -11.8%, P= 0.004) and mobility were still apparent even 9 months after the intervention.

Group-based exercise program organized in the context of a Finnish health care organization improved mood in frail older women recuperating from an acute illness.

The linguistic abilities of children born preterm at 32 weeks' gestation or earlier at Kuopio University Hospital during 1984 to 1986 were evaluated during successive phases of a prospective study. The study protocol included the Rapid Automatic Naming test and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children ‐ Revised at 9 years of age and a modified Stroop Color‐Word test and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale ‐ Revised at the age of 16 years. Fifty‐one children born preterm (26 males, 25 females) and 51 age‐matched and sex‐matched term controls (26 males, 25 females) were studied at the age of 9 years. At the age of 16 years, 40 children born preterm (19 males, 21 females) and 31 term controls (14 males, 17 females) participated in the study. The children born preterm scored significantly lower in two naming tasks than the controls at the age of 9 years. However, there was no difference between the study groups in naming skills at the age of 16 years or in verbal IQ in either study phase. Maternal education level was not associated with naming skills. Thus, the consequences of preterm birth seem to be minor in relation to linguistic skills during school age and diminish by adolescence.

-Background and Objectives:The effectiveness of patient psychoeducation has only rarely been studied among forensic populations. This paper examines the outcomes of an eight-time psychoeducational group comprised of schizophrenic patients in a forensic hospital setting in Finland.Methods: The intervention group contained forensic or dangerous non-forensic longterm patients with schizophrenia. Treatment outcomes were compared between the intervention group (n = 7) and a matched treatment-as-usual control group (n = 8). The group provided information about schizophrenia and its treatment and cognitive-behavioural elements were used to enhance patients' learning and coping. The results were obtained from a knowledge of schizophrenia, awareness of mental disorder, attitudes toward psychiatric treatment and medication, and depression.Results: The results of this pilot study suggest that even severely ill patients were able to gain improved knowledge about their illness, and psychoeducation also had positive impact on their awareness of the illness. The results showed no significant changes in attitudes toward psychiatric treatment or medication, or depressive symptoms. No significant changes in any measures were found in the control group.Conclusions: Despite our positive results further research with larger samples is needed to discover the effectiveness of patient education as a component of the comprehensive treatment of forensic patients with schizophrenia.