LASA Q Focus Magazine - Leading Age Services Australia ...

RESEARCHDr Tim Henwood, Universityof Queensland/Blue CareResearch and PracticeDevelopment CentreUsing resistance training toreduce later life disabilityThe Australian Instituteof Health and Welfarewarns that over thenext two decades thedirect cost of ResidentialAged Care (RAC)service expenditure inAustralia will increasesubstantially comparedwith other primaryhealth services.Ageing of the population and anincreased prevalence of complexhealth conditions, coupledwith the increasing need forintensive RAC services, will bethe underlying cause. In Australiapresently, there are some 165 000RAC bed placements available.However, the demand is projectedto more than treble by 2050. Asa population, 45% of adults >85years require assistance withactivities of daily living, whilein RAC this figure approaches100%. A primary cause ininstitutionalisation, disability,morbidity, mortality, decreasinggait speed and increasing fallsrisk is the age-associated lossin muscle mass and function,termed sarcopenia.However, evidence is strong thatsarcopenic can be effectivelyprevented and rehabilitatedthrough targeted exercise.The benefits of exercise for olderadults are irrefutable. Studiesshow that community-dwellingadults maintaining an activelifestyle have increased physicaland cognitive health whencompared to their sedentarycounterparts. And for the42LASA-Q Focus | Autumn edition 2013