The effects of the employment of physical therapists and occupational therapists on the gait function of adult day service users after 1 year.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of the presence or absence of physical therapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) in an adult day service on the users' gait function, and to generalize the format of an effective service aimed at the preventing the exacerbation of the gait function and at promoting self-reliance in activities and participation.

METHODS: The study population included 830 elderly day service users (mean age, 83.7±6.8 years; male, n=252; female, n=578) in Japan. Their normal gait speed was measured at the baseline and at 1 year. The sex, age, level of nursing care, and number of adult day service users were assessed at the baseline. The subjects were divided into 2 groups: (1) those who used services that employed PTs or OTs (the PTOT group) and (2) those who used services that did not employ PTs or OTs (the control group). We performed a univariate analysis to confirm the absence of differences between the groups in terms of all their baseline variables. Next, we performed a repeated measures analysis of variance using the presence or absence of PT or OT and time as factors. We subsequently performed a univariate analysis to examine the difference in the gait speed of the groups, as well as the differences in the gait speed between the groups at the baseline and at 1 year.

RESULTS: Although the repeated measures analysis of variance did not show that time had a significant effect on the gait speed, it showed the significant effects of the presence or absence of PTs or OTs as well as the interaction between time and group. Intragroup comparisons showed a significant difference between the gait speed at baseline and that at 1 year in the PTOT group. However, there was also a significant difference in the baseline and 1-year gait speeds of the control group. The intergroup comparisons did not show a significant difference in the gait speed at baseline, but did show a significant difference in the gait speed at 1 year.

CONCLUSION: The employment of PTs and OTs in adult day service controlled the exacerbation of the gait function. The gait speed in elderly individuals who require long-term care is associated with the activities of daily living and mortality rates; thus, the results of the present study indicate the need for the employment of rehabilitation specialists in adult day services.