A community-base pulmonary rehabilitation programme for the elderly recovered from Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract

<b>Background and Aims:</b> Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that affects patients' lung function and thus exercise tolerance. Elderly patients have shown to have more severe and long-term symptoms after contracting COVID-19. Limited evidence has been published on the effectiveness of rehabilitation programme for elderly patients recovered from COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based rehabilitation programme on them.

<b>Methods:</b> Elderly participants recovered from COVID-19 were first screened and then followed a 8-week structured community-based rehabilitation programme. They were given a consultation session for an educational talk about staying physically active during and after the pandemic then face to face 1-hour exercise class once a week. A water dumbbell home exercise video, a smart watch with pedometer and a resistance band were provided for continuing different types of exercise at home. Before and after the programme, lung function, physical performance and functional outcomes were evaluated.

<b>Results:</b> Improving trends were observed in all outcome measures e.g. six-minute walk distance (6MWD), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), handgrip, deltoid and gluteal strength and Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) scores. However, no statistical significance was found between pre- and post-rehabilitation outcome measures.

<b>Conclusion:</b> Although improvement trends were observed, no significant improvement was found on functional capacity, lung function or muscle strength in elderly recovered from COVID-19 Further studies with larger sample size are warranted to confirm the effectiveness of community-based rehabilitation programme on elderly patients recovered from COVID-19.