According to an Israeli study published today in Archives of Internal Medicine, geriatric patients who walk around while at the hospital may reduce the duration of their stay. The study surveyed 485 participants aged 70 and up and took patients' health status into account. The University of Haifa reports:
The muscle's 'reserve capacity' can decompose quite quickly in older people. If they shift from a mode of mobility - even if it was minimal - to a state of almost complete immobility, and even for just a few short days of hospitalization, they could very quickly lose their muscle 'reserves', resulting in more difficulties functioning and other complications. ... "Given the over-occupancy of many hospitals, this finding can be of great importance," [researchers] concluded.
