***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: This study examined the therapeutic role of a structured life review process in a r and omly selected group of 60 homebound elderly subjects . Subjects were placed in three groups and tested on four dependent variables at the beginning and end of an 8-week period . These variables were life satisfaction , psychological well-being , depression , and activities of daily living ( ADL ) . One group , the experimental group , received the treatment of life review process ; another , the control group , received a friendly visit ; and the third , the no-treatment group , received pretests and posttests only . Two dependent variables , life satisfaction , as operationalized by the Life Satisfaction Index A ( LSIA ) , and psychological well-being , as operationalized by the Affect-Balance Scale ( ABS ) , were significant in the experimental group when tested statistically through analysis of covariance ( ANCOVA ) . These results suggest that a structured process of life review can serve as a therapeutic intervention for homebound elderly persons OBJECTIVES Based on the model by Tsang et al. ( 2002 ) which summarized the etiological factors and consequences of depression in elderly with chronic physical illnesses , a r and omized clinical trial of a special form of Qigong ( The Eight Section Brocades ) was conducted to assess if it improved the biopsychosocial health of participants . DESIGN 50 geriatric patients in sub-acute stage of chronic physical illnesses were recruited and r and omly assigned into the intervention and control group . The intervention group was given a 12-week period of Qigong practice while the control group was given traditional remedial rehabilitation activities . RESULTS The intervention group participants expressed improvement in physical health , ADL , psychological health , social relationship , and health in general as reflected by scores of the Perceived Benefit Question naire and informal feedback . CONCLUSION Although results are not significant in the generalization measures , it may be due to small effect size , small sample size , and short intervention period . Although not all of the hypotheses are supported , this report shows that Qigong ( the Eight Section Brocades ) is promising as an alternative intervention for elderly with chronic physical illness to improve their biopsychosocial health . More systematic evaluation with larger sample size and longer period of intervention is now underway in Hong Kong . Results will be reported once available OBJECTIVES Determine the impact of an 8-week mindfulness meditation program on disability , psychological function , and pain severity in community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain , and to test the education control program for feasibility . DESIGN R and omized controlled trial . Participants . Forty community-dwelling older adults with moderate low back pain or greater for at least the previous 3 months . Intervention . Participants were r and omized to an 8-week  meditation program  or an 8-week education control program . OUTCOME MEASURES Disability , psychological function , and pain severity were assessed . The same measures were obtained for both groups at baseline , at the end of the program , and 4 months after program completion . RESULTS Sixteen participants ( 80 % ) completed the meditation program and 19 ( 95 % ) completed the education program . Both the meditation and control group improved on measures of disability , pain , and psychological function , both at program completion and 4-month follow-up . The differences between the two groups did not reach statistical significance . The meditation group practice d mindfulness meditation a mean of 5 days/week ( range 1 - 7 ) and mean of 31 minutes/session ( range 22 - 48 ) . At 4 months follow-up 14/16 ( 88 % ) participants continued to meditate . CONCLUSION Both the intervention group and the education control group improved on outcome measures suggesting both programs had a beneficial effect . Participants continued to meditate on 4-month follow-up . The control program was feasible but not inert . Piloting the control program in mind-body research can inform the design of larger clinical trials Background : Few studies have considered the neighborhood as a context in which to examine the physical activity and quality of life relationship . Purpose : The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of a neighborhood walking program on  quality of life among older adults . It was design ed as a r and omized trial involving a multilevel design with neighborhoods corresponding to primary sampling units and residents to secondary units . Methods : Five hundred eighty-two communitydwelling senior residents ( 65 years of age or older ) in neighborhoods in the northeast metropolitan area of Portl and , Oregon , were recruited through telephone , direct mail , and referrals . The walking intervention was delivered at the neighborhood level . Neighborhoods ( N = 56 ) were r and omly assigned to a 6-month , 3 times per week , leader-led walking group activity ( n = 28 ) or an information-only control group ( n = 28 ) . Primary outcome measures included SF-12 ( Physical , Mental summary scores ) and life satisfaction ( SWLS ) ; the secondary outcome measure was neighborhood walking activity , assessed at baseline , 3 months , and 6 months of the study period . Results : Compared to the control neighborhoods , results from multilevel , longitudinal analyses indicated significant improvements in the primary outcomes of SF-12 Physical ( p < .05 ) , SF-12 Mental ( p < .05 ) summary scores , and SWLS ( p < .05 ) , over the course of the 6-month intervention . A significant increase was also observed in the secondary outcome of walking activity ( p < .05 ) . Conclusions : Implementing a neighborhood-based walking program of low to moderate intensity is feasible and beneficial for promoting quality of life among senior residents at a community level UNLABELLED To identify the effects of mindfulness meditation on older adults with chronic low back pain ( CLBP ) , we conducted a qualitative study based on grounded theory and used content analysis of diary entries from older adults who had participated in a clinical trial of an 8-week mindfulness meditation program . Participants were 27 adults > or = 65 years of age with CLBP of at least moderate severity and of at least 3 months duration . We found several themes reflecting the beneficial effects of mindfulness meditation on pain , attention , sleep , and achieving well-being . Various methods of pain reduction were used , including distraction , increased body awareness leading to behavior change , better pain coping , and direct pain reduction through meditation . Participants described improved attention skills . A number of participants reported improved sleep latency as well as quality of sleep . Participants described achieving well-being during and after a meditation session that had immediate effects on mood elevation but also long-term global effects on improved quality of life . Several themes were identified related to pain reduction , improved attention , improved sleep , and achieving well-being result ing from mindfulness meditation that suggest it has promising potential as a nonpharmacologic treatment of chronic pain for older adults . PERSPECTIVE Community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back pain experience numerous benefits from mindfulness meditation including less pain , improved attention , better sleep , enhanced well-being , and improved quality of life . Additional research is needed to determine how mindfulness meditation works and how it might help with other chronic illnesses Background and aims : The aim of this study was to assess the effects of risk-based multifactorial fall prevention program on maximal isometric strength in the community-dwelling aged . Methods : 591 subjects were r and omized in two age groups ( 65–74 and ≥75 yrs ) , intervention group ( IG ) ( n=293 ) and control group ( CG ) ( n=298 ) . A 12-month program consisted of individual geriatric assessment , individual guidance on fall prevention , home hazards assessment , physical exercises in groups , lectures , psychosocial activity groups , and home exercises .  Strength was measured on an adjustable dynamometer chair . Results : Among women , the extension strength of the left knee increased by 7 % in IG and 2 % in CG ( p=0.006 ) , and that of the right knee by 7 % and 4 % ( p=0.057 ) , respectively . Subgroup analyses in the two age groups revealed a significant difference between groups among men aged 65–74 yrs , in favour of CG subjects , whose flexion strength of the left knee increased by 14 % whereas the corresponding increase in IG was only 1 % ( p=0.042 ) . Among women aged 65–74 yrs , the extension strength of right ( increase of 8 % in IG , 4 % in CG ) ( p=0.046 ) and left knees ( 9 % and 3 % ) ( p=0.008 ) and flexion strength of right ( 10 % and 4 % ) ( p=0.042 ) and left knees ( 10 % and 4 % ) ( p=0.041 ) increased more in IG than in CG . Conclusions : The 12-month fall prevention program increased maximal isometric muscle strength among women only , especially those aged 65–74 years . We suggest that more intensive exercise , including the use of extra weights or resistance , is needed to increase muscle strength in men AIM This paper is a report of a study to explore the effects of psychosocial group nursing intervention on older people 's feelings of loneliness , social activity and psychological well-being . BACKGROUND Older people 's loneliness is associated with low quality of life , and impaired health , increased use of health and social services and increased mortality . Previous intervention studies have achieved quite modest results . METHOD A r and omized controlled trial was conducted between 2003 and 2006 using a group intervention aim ed at empowering older people , and promoting peer support and social integration .  A total of 235 people ( > 74 years ) suffering from loneliness met 12 times with professional leaders in groups . The UCLA Loneliness Scale and Lubben 's Social Network Scale were used at entry , after 3 and 6 months . Psychological well-being was charted using a six-dimensional question naire at baseline and 12 months later . FINDINGS A statistically significantly larger proportion of intervention group participants had found new friends during the follow-up year ( 45 % vs. 32 % , P = 0.048 ) , and 40 % of intervention group participants continued their group meetings for 1 year . However , no differences were found in loneliness or social networks between the groups . Psychological well-being score improved statistically significantly in the intervention groups [ + 0.11 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) : + 0.04 to + 0.13 ] , compared with the controls ( + 0.01 , 95 % CI : -0.05 to + 0.07 , P = 0.045 ) . Feeling needed was statistically significantly more common in the intervention groups ( 66 % ) than in controls ( 49 % , P = 0.019 ) . CONCLUSION New sensitive measurements of loneliness and social isolation are needed to measure fluctuations in feelings of loneliness and in social isolation OBJECTIVES The aim was to determine the effects of multifactorial fall prevention on depressive symptoms among aged Finns at increased risk of falling . METHODS This study is part of a multifactorial fall prevention trial with a r and omised controlled design implemented in the town of Pori , western Finl and . The study population consisted of ambulatory , 65-year-old or older Finns , with moderate or high cognitive and physical abilities who had fallen at least once during the previous 12 months . The participants ( n=591 ) were r and omised into a risk-based multifactorial fall prevention programme ( intervention group , IG ) or into a one-time counselling group ( control group , CG ) . The 1-year intervention included individual geriatric assessment followed by treatment recommendations , individual guidance regarding fall prevention , physical exercise in small groups twice a month , psychosocial group activities and lectures once a month , home-exercises and home hazard assessment . The outcome , depressive symptoms , was measured by the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale ( GDS ) . RESULTS The full GDS data with no missing items were available for 464 persons . A significant decrease in depressive symptoms during the 12-month intervention was found both in IG and in CG , but the difference in change was not significant ( p=0.110 ) . However , a significant difference in change between the groups was found among men and older subjects ( > or=75 ) in favour of the IG . CONCLUSION Multifactorial fall prevention had no effects on depressive symptoms among the community-dwelling aged . However , men and older participants benefited from the intervention The objective of this study was to determine the impact of an aerobic physical exercise program in the treatment of a group of elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus ( DM ) in relation to metabolic control , physical capacity , quality of life ( QOL ) and attitudes toward diabetes . Patients were r and omly assigned to either an experimental ( n=19 ) or a control ( n=20 ) group . The following measurements were conducted at baseline and after week 16 : glycosylated hemoglobin ( hbA1c ) , fructosamine , 3 h oral glucose tolerance test , treadmill test ( Balke-Naughton ) , and a question naire on QOL and attitudes toward DM . After the intervention , the experimental group showed a significant decrease of glucose excursion during the oral glucose tolerance test ( OGTT ) ( area under the curve ) ( 16.6+/-3.8 vs. 15.3+/-3.1 , P<0.05 ) and an increase in total time on the treadmill ( s ) ( 423+/-207 vs. 471+/-230 , P<0.05 ) . An improvement in the attitudes toward DM was observed in the experimental group ( P=0.01 ) but not in the control group . Female gender , higher body mass index and hbA1c were factors associated with a response to the intervention . This study suggests that physical exercise has significant effects on glucose excursion during an OGTT and exercise tolerance in elderly patients with type 2 DM BACKGROUND 
    Output:
    
Overall , psychosocial interventions had a positive effect on quality of life and positive mental health .
The pooled interventions also had a statistically significant effect on reduction in depressive symptoms .
Social activities significantly improved positive mental health , life satisfaction and quality of life and reduced depressive symptoms .
Based on the results of this study , duration of interventions is of importance , since interventions lasting for > 3 months exhibited more positive effects compared with shorter interventions .