Maintaining mobility in older adults can be as easy as a walk in the park

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-05/yu-mmi052214.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 27-May-2014
Contact: Karen N. Peart
Yale University
Maintaining mobility in older adults can be as easy as a walk in the park

With just a daily 20-minute walk, older adults can help stave off major disability and enhance the quality of their later years, according to results of the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) Study, conducted by researchers at Yale School of Medicine in collaboration with seven other institutions around the country. The study is published in the May 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Mobility, the ability to walk without assistance, is key to functioning independently. Reduced mobility is common in older adults and is a risk factor for illness, hospitalization, disability, and death.

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