Keywords
cognitive impairment
institucionatization
musculo-skeletal disorders
falls
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction: Lack of balance and falls are very common in older adults, which leads to physical, emotional, and mental deterioration. Falls are an important part or main source of institutionalization and even death. In long-stay homes, about 40% of admissions are due to the risk of suffering a fall or a history of previous falls and their secondary consequences. Objective: To establish the benefits of physical exercise in musculoskeletal dysfunctions that predispose to loss of balance and risk of falls in institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment. Methodology: Systematic narrative review study, where inclusion criteria were used such as: older adults with cognitive impairment, loss of balance, falls, therapeutic exercises, institutionalized older adults. The main search was in English, articles in Spanish were also included, using the search engines EBSCO, PubMed, SciELO, SIBDI, and Google Scholar. The study is carried out in a time between October 2020 and October 2022. In total, 46 studies were included. Results: risk factors for falls include muscle weakness, polypharmacy, depression, and deficiencies in gait, balance, and cognition. A high prevalence (95%) of musculoskeletal pain was found. People over the age of 65 reduce the risk of developing cognitive impairment by 36% by staying very physically active. The three main musculoskeletal disorders are osteoporosis, knee osteoarthritis, and lumbar spondylosis. Maintaining the physical and cognitive function of older adults is essential for healthy aging. Aerobic, multicomponent, multisensory, resistance, and balance exercises improved balance and decreased the risk of falls. Conclusions: the loss of balance and falls in older adults are multifactorial and one of the determining factors to institutionalize an older adult is the recurrent falls, which implies the need to be able to adequately diagnose, identify and treat all sequelae and consequences. product of these falls. Effective exercises to prevent and ameliorate loss of balance and risk of falls in institutionalized older adults with cognitive impairment include resistance, aerobic, dual-task, multicomponent, multisensory, and proprioception exercises.
Keywords: older adult, cognitive impairment, institutionalization, musculoskeletal disorders, loss of balance and falls.
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