Tutors as a Supplement for Elderly Exercise Programs

Dr. Maria A. Fiatarone etal conducted a study and published it in the New England Journal of Medicine. The subject of the study was “Exercise Training and Nutritional Supplementation for Physical Frailty in Elderly People“.
Despite undernutrition and disuse of skeletal muscle that are often cited as potentially reversible causes of frailty amongst the elderly , the efficacy of interventions targeted specifically at these deficits has not been carefully studied until now.
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial was held comparing progressive resistance exercise training, multinutrient supplementation, both interventions, and neither in 100 frail nursing home residents over a 10-week period.
The conclusions reached were that high-intensity resistance exercise training is a feasible and effective means of counteracting muscle weakness and physical frailty in elderly people. In contrast, multinutrient supplementation without concomitant exercise does not reduce muscle weakness or physical frailty.
In addition to these training sessions and nutrient supplements the elderly can avail themselves of modern devices such as the HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR.
These TUTORS are innovative motion capture gloves and arm and leg braces that implement an impairment oriented training based program with augmented feedback and encourage motor learning through intensive and repetitive exercises. Intensive exercise practice is the physical and occupational therapists tool to improve the patient’s sensory, motor and cognitive movement ability. The HANDTUTOR, ARMTUTOR, LEGTUTOR and 3DTUTOR use movement feedback and dedicated rehabilitation games to make sure that the exercises performed by patients who suffered stroke, brain/spinal cord injuries, Cerebral Palsy and other upper or lower limb disabilities or surgeries are challenging and motivating.This is because, the physiotherapist or occupational therapist can tailor the repetitive exercises to the patient’s exercise performance ability.
Currently part of the rehabilitation program of leading U.S. and foreign hospitals the TUTORS are also used in clinics and at home through the use of innovative telerehabilitation using the internet. See WWW.HANDTUTOR.COM for more information.