Physical Activity and Functional Autonomy in Older Adults

Abstract

At the age of 60, the stage of older adulthood begins, during which the physiological process of aging becomes fully established. This is an inevitable process of gradual deterioration determined by all the changes that occur over time and that lead to functional alterations. Therefore, old age is the accumulation of all the involutive and irreversible physical and biological changes that occur in an organism over time, leading to homeostatic failures that are incompatible with survival. The problem lies in the fact that older people, upon reaching a certain age, are often considered a burden by their relatives, making it easy to send them to nursing homes. Other older adults spend much of the day inactive and isolated, which generates deterioration of the basic functions that allow them to carry out simple daily activities and maintain their functional autonomy. This, combined with diagnoses of chronic non-communicable diseases such as obesity and the lack of proper intervention by health and physical activity specialists, compromises the health of older adults.

This research aimed to determine the effects of a physical activity program on the functional autonomy of older adults at the Boyacá Sports Institute through the implementation of a physical activity plan, understood as an effective tool to improve the quality of life of older adults by providing better perspectives for social life. The study considered conditional and coordinative abilities, balance and gait, daily life activities, among others. It can be concluded that the evaluated abilities significantly influenced functional autonomy in older adults, in line with the objective of determining the effects of physical activity on functional autonomy. This research was framed within a pre-experimental method, followed by the analysis of results and the formulation of conclusions.