Development, Application , and Evaluation of the Senior Elastic Band (SEB) Exercise Program for Elderly Residents in Long-term Care Facilities

A three-year, longitudinal, triangulation research method will be used. The study purpose of the first year is to develop a safe and appropriate SEB program for the elderly residents in long term care facilities using Delphi survey with a panel of 12 experts and pilot-testing on a group of 15-20 elderly residents in long term care facilities. In the second year of the study, a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design will be used to evaluate the effects of the SEB exercise program on the physical functional fitness (cardiovascular-respiratory function, body flexibility, muscle power/muscle endurance, and balance) and sleep quality of elderly residents in long term care facilities. Through the convenience sampling strategy, a total of four long term care facilities with approximately 120 elders in Kaohsiung will be recruited and randomly assigned based on the resided facilities to a SEB experimental group or a waiting-list control group. The subjects in the experimental group will receive the SEB interventions lead by the certified instructors, three times per week, 40 minutes per practice for six months; the subjects in the waiting-list control group will remain regular daily activities in the facilities. All subjects will receive one pre-test and two post-tests three months apart during the study. In the third year, the elderly participants will continue practicing the SEB guided by a VCD for another nine months, and the compliance of the participants toward regular SEB exercise and its long-term effects on the physical functional fitness and sleep quality outcomes will be tested with additional three post-tests, three months apart.