Monday, December 20, 2010

Hospitalized seniors can make great strides with just a few steps


A recent study conducted at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston suggests that senior citizens who stay mobile in hospitals can decrease the length of their stay.

“Using [special step activity] monitors, we were able to see a correlation between even relatively small amounts of increased mobility and shorter lengths of stay in the hospital,” explained Steve Fisher, lead author of the recent report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Fisher further explained, “Mobility is a key measure in older people's independence and quality of life generally, and this study suggests that's also true in the hospital setting,"

162 senior citizens participated in the study by wearing a small device to monitor steps while hospitalized. Adjustments were made to account for varying levels of illnesses, so the correlation between activity and hospital-stay time was not undermined by unintended variables. Read the source article here.



Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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