Soziale Rahmenbedingungen körperlich-sportiver Aktivitäten im Pflegeheim: Ergebnisse einer qualitativ explorativen Studie

There are currently plenty of (inter-)national intervention studies showing the positive effects of any kind of physical activity on the physical and cognitive performance as well as on the independence of residents. However, there is some evidence, that physical activity of residents decreases from the date of moving into a nursing home. Therefore the purpose of this study is to assess the social framing and conditions of physical activity in nursing homes. The qualitative study design consists of three sub-studies that are built onto one another and follow different survey methods. The data collection took place in four nursing homes in Germany. In this article results of seven group-discussions and five individual interviews with nursing home residents and staff members are presented. The results show that the decreasing physical activity of residents cannot be explained by mere biological factors only. Most of the residents, who are unable to be independently mobile, rely heavily on qualified staff for any kind of physical activity. The staff however does not have much time. Moreover there is still predominantly a negative attitude towards the capabilities and physical potential of residents and not enough knowledge about exercise training for elderly people in need of care.