Physical exercise and perception of exertion in older adults

Abstract

Post-COVID older adults with underlying pathologies are prone to persistent symptoms. The lack of interventions for them led to the objective of this study: to design a Protocol of therapeutic physical exercises for older adults. The population made up of older adults hospitalized for six months, N= 57, =70.7 years and S= 9.5. As a measurement, the 6-minute Test and the Borg scale were used to determine the perception of exertion manifested. The following statistical procedures were carried out: descriptive analysis, comparison of the distribution of frequencies and percentages of the variables. The most frequent symptoms on admission were related: fatigue and dyspnea, to determine statistical dependencies, using contingency tables, Pearson's R statistic and Spearman's correlation with 95% confidence, using the SPSS Version 20.0 statistical package. The results showed: greater frequency in: group 60-65 years, Male sex; most frequent symptoms fever and respiratory distress. It was concluded that the designed therapeutic physical exercise protocol was structured in three moments, with objectives, contents and activities, the expert assessment was Adequate and Very adequate. Its application showed statistically significant changes, reflected by the correlation values, for dyspnea and fatigue.

Keywords:

Elderly, Respiratory conditions, COVID-19, Physical exercises.