***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: OBJECTIVE To use two different exercise programs over a 2-year period to reduce falls and their sequelae among residents of two long-term care facilities . DESIGN R and omized , controlled trial . SETTING The study took place at two long-term care facilities with services ranging from independent living to skilled nursing . PARTICIPANTS One hundred and ten participants whose average age was 84 and who were capable of ambulating with or without assistive devices and could follow simple directions . INTERVENTION Participants were r and omized to one of two exercise groups ( resistance/endurance plus basic enhanced programming or tai chi plus basic enhanced programming ) or to a control group ( basic enhanced programming only ) . Exercise classes were held three times per week throughout the study . MEASUREMENTS Participants were evaluated for cognitive and physical functioning at baseline and 6 , 12 , and 24 months . Falls were determined from incident reports filed by the nursing staffs at the facilities . RESULTS Time to first fall , time to death , number of days hospitalized , and incidence of falls did not differ among the treatment and control groups ( P>.05 ) . Among all participants , those who fell had significantly lower baseline Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination and instrumental activities of daily living scores and experienced significantly greater declines in these measures over the 2-year program . CONCLUSION There were no significant differences in falls among the two exercise groups and the control group . Lack of treatment differences and low adherence rates suggest that residents of long-term care facilities may require individualized exercise interventions that can be adapted to their changing needs BACKGROUND Although exercise has been shown to relieve depression , little is known about its mechanism or dose-response characteristics . We hypothesized that high intensity progressive resistance training ( PRT ) would be more effective than either low intensity PRT or st and ard care by a general practitioner ( GP ) in depressed elderly persons , and that high intensity PRT would provide superior benefits in quality of life , sleep quality , and self-efficacy . METHODS Sixty community-dwelling adults > 60 years with major or minor depression were r and omized to supervised high intensity PRT ( 80 % maximum load ) or low intensity PRT ( 20 % maximum load ) 3 days per week for 8 weeks , or GP care . RESULTS A 50 % reduction in the Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression score was achieved in 61 % of the high intensity , 29 % of the low intensity , and 21 % of the GP care group ( p = .03 ) . Strength gain was directly associated with reduction in depressive symptoms ( r = 0.40 , p = .004 ) , as was baseline social support network type ( F = 3.52 , p = .015 ) , whereas personality type , self-efficacy , and locus of control were unrelated to the antidepressant effect . Vitality quality -of-life scale improved more in the high intensity group than in the others ( p = .04 ) . Sleep quality improved significantly in all participants ( p < .0001 ) , with the greatest relative change in high intensity PRT ( p = .05 ) . CONCLUSIONS High intensity PRT is more effective than is low intensity PRT or GP care for the treatment of older depressed patients STUDY OBJECTIVE In the causative mechanism of falls among older community dwellers , slips and trips have been found to be significant precursors . The purpose of the two year trial was to assess the effectiveness of multi-component interventions targeting major risk factors for falls in reducing the incidence of slips , trips and falls among the well , older community . DESIGN Four groups with approximately equal numbers of participants were r and omly allocated to interventions . The prevention strategies included education and awareness raising of falls risk factors , exercise sessions to improve strength and balance , home safety advice to modify environmental hazards , and medical assessment to optimise health . The interventions combined the strategies in an add on approach . The first intervention group receiving the information session only was regarded as the control . The outcome of interest was the occurrence of a slip , trip or fall , monitored prospect ively using a daily calendar diary . PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Two hundred and fifty two members of the National Seniors Association in the Brisbane district agreed to participate . National Seniors clubs provide a forum for active , community dwelling Australians aged 50 and over to participate in policy , personal development and recreation . MAIN RESULTS Using Cox 's proportional hazards regression model , adjusted hazard ratios comparing intervention groups with the control ranged from 0.35 ( 95 % CI 0.17 , 0.73 ) to 0.48 ( 0.25 , 0.91 ) for slips ; 0.29 ( 0.16 , 0.51 ) to 0.45 ( 0.27 , 0.74 ) for trips ; and 0.60 ( 0.36 , 1.01 ) to 0.82 ( 0.51 , 1.31 ) for falls . While calendar monitoring recorded outcome , it was also assessed as a prevention strategy by comparing the intervention groups with a hypothetical non-intervened group . At one year after intervention , reductions in the probability of slips , trips and falls ( 61(95%CI 54 , 66)% ; 56 ( 49 , 63)% ; 29 ( 22 , 36)% respectively ) were demonstrated . CONCLUSIONS This study makes an important contribution to the priority community health issue of falls prevention by showing that effective , sustainable , low cost programmes can be introduced through community-based organisations to reduce the incidence of slips , trips and falls in well , older people OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of psychotropic medication withdrawal and a home-based exercise program in reducing  falls in older people .  DESIGN A r and omized controlled trial with a two by two factorial design . SETTING Seventeen general practice s in Dunedin , New Zeal and . PARTICIPANTS Women and men aged 65 years registered with a general practitioner and currently taking psychotropic medication ( n = 93 ) . INTERVENTIONS Two interventions : ( 1 ) gradual withdrawal of psychotropic medication versus continuing to take psychotropic medication ( double blind ) and ( 2 ) a home-based exercise program versus no exercise program ( single blind ) . MEASUREMENTS Number of falls and falls risk during 44 weeks of follow-up . Analysis was on an intent to treat basis . RESULTS After 44 weeks , the relative hazard for falls in the medication withdrawal group compared with the group taking their original medication was .34 ( 95 % CI , .16-.74 ) . The risk of falling for the exercise program group compared with those not receiving the exercise program was not significantly reduced . CONCLUSIONS Withdrawal of psychotropic medication significantly reduced the risk of falling , but permanent withdrawal is very difficult to achieve OBJECTIVES This r and omized controlled trial studied the effects of a low- to moderate-intensity group exercise program on strength , endurance , mobility , and fall rates in fall-prone elderly men with chronic impairments . METHODS Fifty-nine community-living men ( mean age = 74 years ) with specific fall risk factors ( i.e. , leg weakness , impaired gait or balance , previous falls ) were r and omly assigned to a control group ( n = 28 ) or to a 12-week group exercise program ( n = 31 ) . Exercise sessions ( 90 minutes , three times per week ) focused on increasing strength and endurance and improving mobility and balance . Outcome measures included isokinetic strength and endurance , five physical performance measures , and self-reported physical functioning , health perception , activity level , and falls . RESULTS Exercisers showed significant improvement in measures of endurance and gait . Isokinetic endurance increased 21 % for right knee flexion and 26 % for extension . Exercisers had a 10 % increase ( p < .05 ) in distance walked in six minutes , and improved ( p < .05 ) scores on an observational gait scale . Isokinetic strength improved only for right knee flexion . Exercise achieved no significant effect on hip or ankle strength , balance , self-reported physical functioning , or number of falls . Activity level increased within the exercise group . When fall rates were adjusted for activity level , the exercisers had a lower 3-month fall rate than controls ( 6 falls/1000 hours of activity vs 16.2 falls/1000 hours , p < .05 ) . DISCUSSION These findings suggest that exercise can improve endurance , strength , gait , and function in chronically impaired , fall-prone elderly persons . In addition , increased physical activity was associated with reduced fall rates when adjusted for level of activity Background : The knowledge concerning balance training actually lowering fall rates among frail older persons is limited . Objective : The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 4-week individualized visual feedback-based balance training on the fall incidence during 1-year follow-up among frail older women living in residential care . Methods : Twenty-seven older women from 2 residential care homes were r and omized into  exercise ( n = 20 ) and  control ( n = 7 ) groups . Balance measurements were carried out before and after a 4-week training period and falls were monitored by monthly diaries for 1 year . An interview about fear of falling and physical activity was completed before and after the intervention and after the 1-year follow-up . Results : A positive effect of  balance training on fall incidence was found . A dynamic Poisson regression model showed that during the follow-up the monthly risk of falling was decreased in the exercise group compared to controls ( risk ratio 0.398 , 95 % CI 0.174–0.911 , p = 0.029 ) . In addition , the exercise group reported a reduced fear of falling and increased physical activity after a training period but these changes declined during the follow-up period . Conclusion : Individualized visual feedback-based balance training was shown to be a promising method for fall prevention among frail older women . High compliance ( 97.5 % ) with the training program showed that carefully targeted training programs can be carried out among older people with health limitations Community trials involve the assignment of intact social groups to study conditions and are becoming increasingly common in epidemiologic research . In both the design and analysis of these studies , whether cross-sectional or cohort , allowance must be made for the dependence of elements within intact groups if variances are to be properly estimated . In the design phase , the statistician needs estimates of the level of dependence likely to be encountered . In the analysis phase , external estimates of the level of dependence may be useful in preventing the erosion of power associated with small numbers of intact groups assigned to each condition . We report the intraclass correlation coefficients of the city-year component of variance as estimated in the Minnesota Heart Health Program for a variety of community survey variables and illustrate their use in both design and analysis . Of 23 variables assessed , all but two showed positive estimates of city-year intraclass correlations . In these data , estimates of intraclass correlation coefficients generally were in the range 0.002–0.012 OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of two exercise approaches , Tai Chi ( TC ) and computerized balance training ( BT ) , on specified primary outcomes ( biomedical , functional , and psychosocial indicators of frailty ) and secondary outcomes ( occurrence of falls ) . DESIGN The Atlanta FICSIT ( Frailty and Injuries : Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques ) , a prospect i ve , r and omized , controlled clinical trial with three arms ( TC , BT , and education [ ED ] . Intervention length was 15 weeks , with primary outcomes measured before and after intervention and at 4-month follow-up . Falls were monitored continuously throughout the study . SETTING Persons aged 70 and older living in the community . PARTICIPANTS A total of 200 participants , 162 women and 38 men ; mean age was 76.2 . MEASUREMENTS Biomedical ( strength , flexibility , cardiovascular endurance , body composition ) , functional ( IADL ) , and psychosocial well-being ( CES-D scale , fear of falling question naire , self-perception of present and future health , mastery index , perceived quality of sleep , and intrusiveness ) variables . RESULTS Grip strength declined in all groups , and lower extremity range of motion showed limited but statistically significant changes . Lowered blood pressure before and after a 12-minute walk was seen following TC participation . Fear of falling responses and intrusiveness responses were reduced after the TC intervention compared with the ED group ( P = .046 and P = .058 , respectively ) . After adjusting for fall risk factors , TC was found to reduce the risk of multiple falls by 47.5 % . CONCLUSIONS A moderate TC intervention can impact favorably on defined biomedical and psychosocial indices of frailty . This intervention can also have favorable effects upon the occurrence of falls .  Tai Chi warrants further study as an exercise treatment to improve the health of older people BACKGROUND Community physiotherapy is often prescribed for stroke patients with long-term mobility problems . We aim ed to assess the effectiveness of this treatment in patients who had mobility problems 1 year after stroke . METHODS We screened 359 patients older than 50 years for a single-masked , r and omised controlled trial to assess the effects of community physiotherapy . Assessment s were made at baseline , 3 , 6 , and 9 months in 170 eligible patients assigned treatment or no intervention . The primary outcome measure was mobility measured by the Rivermead mobility index . Secondary outcome measures were gait speed , number of falls , daily activity ( Barthel index scores ) , social activity ( Frenchay activities index ) , hospital anxiety and depression scale , and emotional stress of carers ( general health question naire 28 ) . Analyses were by intention to treat . FINDINGS Follow-up was available for 146 patients ( 86 % ) . Changes in scores on the Rivermead mobility index ( score range 0 - 15 ) differed significantly between treatment and control groups at 3 months ( p=0.018 ) , but only by a median of 1 point ( 95 % CI 0 - 1 ) , with an interpolated value of 0.55 (  
    Output:
    
CONCLUSION Exercise can prevent  falls in older people .
Greater relative effects are seen in programs that include exercises that challenge balance , use a higher dose of exercise , and do not include a walking program .