Environmental physiology

Background] It's important to implement measures to prevent frailty or improve conditions for those who are frail before they require long-term care.Such measures should involve a comprehensive intervention considers mental and cognitive abilities and social interactions.[Objective] To examine the effectiveness of a program for pre-frail and frail older adults that includes lower-extremity exercise, interaction with others, and nutrition and oral-care instructions.[Method] The participants were older adults in the community aged 65 or above with a total score of 4 or higher on the Basic Checklist and who agreed to participate in the study.The program consisted of low-impact lower-limb eccentric exercise (three times a week) using exercise equipment , nutrition and oral-care instructions, and interaction with others.Physical fitness, other factors were evaluated before and after the three-month intervention.Approval was obtained from the ethics review committee.[Results] 14 out of 17 participants saw improvements in their checklist score, especially in the category of depression.As for open-ended questions, improvements were seen in their motivation toward life.[Discussion] The participants regularly visited the facility to perform the appropriate exercise.The program also promoted social interaction, with the participants talking with the staff members.