Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou
The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of tongue resistance exercises on tongue muscle strength and swallowing function in frail older adults with mild cognitive impairment living in the community.
This study adopts a longitudinal research design with randomization. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups using an online computer-based randomization tool. The experimental group performed tongue resistance exercises, while the control group practiced cheek bulging exercises.
Recruitment took place in nursing homes, day care centers, and community care centers across Taiwan. Participants were older adults aged 65 years or older with mild cognitive impairment and frailty, enrolled between August 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022.
Participants were randomly divided into two groups by computer, 23 peoples per group, The experimental group performed tongue resistance exercises, while the control group practiced cheek bulging exercises. The exercise intervention is 12 weeks of exercise begins, with each session 30 minutes.
The evaluation items include basic information, outcomes collected through a Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) was used to measure tongue strength, tongue endurance, tongue endurance time, saliva swallowing pressure, effortful saliva swallowing pressure, and Aspiration assessment. The measurement times are as follows: T0 (Baseline), T1 (Week 4, Mid-Intervention), T2 (Immediate Post-Test after the 12-Week Intervention), and T3 (Follow-Up after the 12-Week Intervention).
Before conducting the study, all participants received a complete explanation of the purpose, risks, and procedures of the investigation, and provided written informed consent. Procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the committee on human experimentation at the institution where the work was conducted, and this study was approved by the Institutional Review Board.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: