{"id":27842,"date":"2020-11-18T06:30:14","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T06:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bengalnewstimes.com\/?p=27842"},"modified":"2020-11-18T06:30:14","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T06:30:14","slug":"amid-lockdowns-online-exercise-classes-help-seniors-feel-less-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bengalnewstimes.com\/?p=27842","title":{"rendered":"Amid Lockdowns, Online Exercise Classes Help Seniors Feel Less Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Latest Senior Health News<\/h3>\n

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\"News<\/p>\n

TUESDAY, Nov. 17, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n

Participating in group exercise<\/a> classes is good for seniors and not just in the ways one might expect.<\/p>\n

The classes reduce loneliness and social isolation<\/a>, according to a new study. And early results suggest that’s true even after the coronavirus pandemic forced those classes to meet virtually.<\/p>\n

“As the demographics of our country shift, more people are living alone than ever before,” said study co-author Dr. Allison Moser Mays, a geriatrician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

“The number of adults over the age of 65 in the U.S. is expected to reach more than 70 million by 2030 — double what it is now. We need sustainable ways to help this burgeoning population thrive as they age, or there will be widespread consequences,” Mays said in a hospital news release.<\/p>\n

As part of its Leveraging Exercise<\/a> to Age in Place effort, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center researchers tracked nearly 400 participants ages 52 to 104 between July 2018 and March 2020.<\/p>\n

Each participant met with a health coach and was offered a choice of four classes in nine Los Angeles neighborhoods that had high concentrations of low-income older adults. Participants also answered questions about social connections and loneliness before starting the class and after six months.<\/p>\n

Researchers found that study participants had about a 7% decrease in loneliness and a 3% improvement in social connectedness after six months.<\/p>\n

Experts equate the harm of social isolation<\/a> among seniors with smoking<\/a> 15 cigarettes a day.<\/p>\n

After pandemic closures, 59 participants continued virtual workouts and had no statistically significant change in loneliness or social isolation after about one month, according to the study.<\/p>\n

The research was presented by Mays at the Gerontological Society of America’s recent annual meeting online, and published recently in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry<\/em>.<\/p>\n

“The results of this study are very exciting because we’ve provided a model that other health systems can easily replicate by integrating evidence-based programs in the community with their organizations. They don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” said senior study author Dr. Sonja Rosen, chief of geriatric medicine<\/a> at Cedars-Sinai. “The health coach is the key ingredient because they make sure that nobody falls through the cracks.”<\/p>\n

More information<\/strong><\/p>\n

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> to find out how much exercise older adults need<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SOURCE: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, news release, Nov. 12, 2020<\/p>\n

Cara Murez<\/p>\n

\"MedicalNews\"
Copyright \u00a9 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n


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SLIDESHOW<\/h4>\n


\n Pictures of the 7 Most Effective Exercises to Do at the Gym or Home (and Tips to Improve Form)<\/span>
\n See Slideshow<\/span>
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