Physical and Psychological Effects on Elderly Instructors Participating in Short-term Preventive Care Activities for the Community-dwelling Elderly

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the short-term physical and psychological effects on elderly instructors participating in preventive care activities for the community-dwelling elderly. [Participants and Methods] The subjects were elderly women who participated in the “Silver Rehab Exercise Instructor^®” training course. Changes from baseline to after 4 weeks and 4 months of the subjects were measured for physical functions and psychological assessments. After the “Silver Rehab Exercise Instructor^®” course was completed, the instructors were divided into two groups based on their participation or non-participation in volunteer preventive care activities. [Results] Significant improvements were found in grip strength, one-leg standing time, and K6 and K-1 questionnaires for the participation group after 4 weeks and 4 months. Significant improvements were found in grip strength for the non-participation group after 4 weeks. [Conclusion] These results suggest that participation in volunteer preventive care activities even in the short term is effective for the improvement of the physical and psychological conditions of elderly instructors.