Effects of a Home-Visit Short-Term Intensive Service on the Exercise Habits of Older Adults Living in Mountainous Areas

This study aimed to examine whether a home-visit short-term intensive service (HSIS) is effective in forming exercise habits, improving exercise function, and expanding life space for older adults living in mountainous areas. The study included nine older adults (four males and five females, aged 85.0±7.1 years) living in a mountainous area in Japan. As an HSIS intervention, the interventionists instructed the participants to perform self-training (at least 30 minutes/day, 2 days/week) at the first visit. The interventionists visited the participants once a week for 12 weeks. During the visits, they grasped the participants’ exercise implementation status and checked and modified their exercise methods. The assessment tools used were the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Life-Space Assessment (LSA), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and weekly exercise time and frequency were also assessed. The interventionists assessed SPPB, LSA, and FIM at the first and last visit and compared pre-and post-intervention for each measurement. As a result, SPPB scores, total LSA scores, FIM motor item scores, and weekly exercise time and frequency increased significantly pre-intervention compared to post-intervention. Thus, HSIS can be effective in forming exercise habits, improving motor functions, and expanding life space for older adults living in mountainous areas.

Keywords: Community-dwelling older adults; Exercise habits; Home-visit short-term intensive service.