Preventive physical training for the elderly

Our physical functional capacity deteriorates with age. This means that the elderly have a higher risk of accidents because of falling.
This report presents the results of a study on fall-prevention training for elderly people over the age of 65 living at home in the municipality of Gladsaxe. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Municipality of Gladsaxe and aimed at investigating whether the short training programme run by the Municipality could improve the physical functional capacity of the elderly and thereby reduce their risk of falling accidents. Furthermore, the report describes the extent to which care personnel can identify elderly people with a need for physical training.
The study was completed on the basis of a comparison between an intervention group who received a training programme and a control group who did not receive training; a randomised controlled trial. The results show that the training gave stronger muscles, better mobility and improved ability to cope with everyday tasks. However, the results give no immediate indication of improved balance.