Perceptions and Performance of Function and Physical Activity in Assisted Living Communities

Participant Variation by Delivery Site Type in an Evidence-Based Physical Activity Program

“…While analysis of maintenance of function is beyond the scope of this analysis, future research should explore participant, site or program characteristics that could impact maintenance. There may be other explanations for test results among participants at residential sites, including less physical activity outside of class time (Resnick, Galik, Gruber-Baldini, & Zimmerman, 2010), poorer overall health, lower intensity during class time, psychosocial factors such as cognitive status, depression, social support and fear of falling (Resnick, 1998), or unmeasured confounding factors not captured in covariates included in the models. Due to the nature of the administrative records, we were unable to divide the residential sites into more discrete subgroups (e.g.…”

Testing the Effect of Function‐Focused Care in Assisted Living

“…20 Residents were excluded from the study if they had a life expectancy of less than 6 months (documented by the resident's primary healthcare provider). If residents did not pass the Evaluation to Sign Consent, 1,21,22 they were asked to sign an assent to participate, and a proxy was contacted to complete the consent process. A list of 494 residents was provided to the research team, and within the subsequent 2 months, these individuals were screened and approached for participation.…”

Physical Activity and Function in Assisted Living Residents

“…It is important to focus on increasing time spent in physical activity for older adults in assisted living settings as there are numerous health related benefits associated with physical activity. Specifically these include maintaining or improving function, balance, gait speed, and walking endurance and decreasing fear of and risk of falling (Fahlman et al, 2011; Hatch & Lusardi, 2011; Resnick et al, 2010; Chao, Scherer, Wu, Lucke, & Montgomery, 2013). …”

“…There are advantages to survey input as they provide the participant’s or caregiver’s perspective on the amount of activity currently being done by the older individual. Unfortunately, survey reports of physical activity tend to overestimate the amount of activity that is actually performed (Chao et al, 2013; Fjeldsoe, Winkler, Marshall, Eakin, & Reeves, 2013; Gennuso, Matthews, & Colbert, 2015; Resnick, Galik, Gruber-Baldini & Zimmerman, 2009; Resnick et al, 2010). …”

“…Other measurement challenges include a lack of sensitivity with regard to light intensity activities, and the inability to detect non-ambulatory activities (e.g. cycling, weight lifting) or to differentiate activities (e.g., transfers, toileting, resistance exercise versus ambulation) (Resnick et al, 2010). In addition, there are some individuals who refuse to wear these devices, particularly those worn around the waist such as the Actigraph, and thus the results may be biased due to participant selectivity.…”