Design, application and assessment of an educational pool-therapy adaptation program for the elderly

Abstract

The present report presents an educational pool-therapy adaptation program, especially designed for this study, consisting of four sessions, aiming at learning skills that warrant motor independence (adaptation to the aquatic environment) during immersion, for elderly people. The adaptation to the aquatic environment is a prerequisite for the development of hydrotherapy intervention, due to the natural fear presented by these people to perform aquatic environment activities, common in this population, when they start hydrotherapy activities. The subjects of the present study consisted of 18 women, aged 65 to 70 years. Their performance during ten trained motor activities based on a previously designed plan was assessed as well as blood pressure and heart rate, as indicative factors of stress caused by performing activities in the aquatic environment. The assessment was carried out by the researcher and by an independent observer and the scores 1, 2 and 3 were assigned to each motor activity. The results showed that the group presented 89.7% of the expected learning outcomes when performing the motor activities at the end of the program, associated with decreased blood pressure when the first session is compared with the fourth. We conclude that the educational pool-therapy adaptation program for the elderly was enough to produce alterations in the motor responses of the participants, who presented independence in the aquatic environment, as well as establishing blood pressure and heart rate levels.