Development of the exercise program by hermit self-stretching to reduce the risk of falls for the older adult

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to develop a Thai hermit (Ruesi Dat Ton) exercise program in reducing the risk of falls among older adults and 2) to examine the effects of the developed exercise program on reducing the risk of falls among older adults. The research was conducted in two phases: 1) Drafting and Evaluating the quality the initial prototype of the Thai hermit exercise program to reduce the risk of falls among older adults; and 2) Assessing the effects of using the developed Thai hermit (Ruesi Dat Ton) exercise program. The sample consisted of elderly volunteers aged 60–70, totaling 68 participants. A simple random sampling method was used, selecting 34 participants for the experimental group and 34 participants for the control group. The research tools included: 1) a Thai hermit exercise program in reducing fall risk in older adults (IOC 1.00) and 2) the Berg Balance Test for assessing fall risk (IOC 0.95). The experimental group followed the Thai hermit exercise program while the control group engaged in aerobic exercise for eight weeks, three days per week. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics to determine mean, standard deviation; and t-test with a statistical significance level of .05.

The findings indicated as follows: 1) The developed Thai hermit exercise program in reducing the risk of falls among older adults showed a validity score of 1.00. It included: 1.1) Principles of exercise: frequency (3 times per week), intensity (50-70% MHR), duration (40 minutes per session), and type (stretching and weight training); 1.2) Exercise phases consisting of three stages: warm-up, exercise, and cool-down. The warm-up and cool-down stages included four Thai hermit postures, lasting 10 minutes, which were: Thep Phanom, Hand-Raising and Back-Sweeping, Lazy Pose (neck, shoulders, upper back stretching), and Sitting Leg Massage. The exercise phase uses five Thai hermit postures for 20 minutes, including: Long Life Posture, Model Pose, Khon Dance Pose, Standing Leg Massage, and Prone Position with Hand Press. 2) The effect of the Thai hermit exercise program on reducing fall risk in older adults showed that, at post- experiment, the experimental group had significantly improved fall risk test results compared to at pre-experiment with a statistical significance level of .05. Furthermore, when compared with the control group, the experimental group showed better improvement in fall risk test results with a statistical significance level of 05.