Multidomain Interventions for Elderly Individuals in Residential Structures

Appropriate exercises for supervised small group sessions will be prescribed by a physiotherapist or expert in exercise science. Each session will last approximately 40 minutes, three times a week, and will be based on the international guidelines for physical exercise in the elderly population, and the VIVIFRAIL Multicomponent Physical Exercise Program to Prevent Frailty and the Risk of Falls. Accelerometers and other wearable sensors (smartwatches) will be used to monitor the physical activity performed.

Cognitive stimulation will be delivered by expert neuropsychologists twice a week (48 sessions in total) for approximately 30 minutes. Residents will be divided into small groups (3-5 people) of similar cognitive level, and the intervention will be delivered using a computerized tool (REmote stimulation for COgnitive DEcline (RECODE) developed by researchers at the University of Padova with the aim of stimulating different domains (i.e., attention, working memory, visual memory, language, orientation and executive functions) through exercises of increasing difficulty.

Participants in the intervention group will be advised to follow a Mediterranean diet and will also receive functional foods; in particular, they will be offered 80 g/day of sourdough bread fortified with vegetable matrix rich in polyphenols (e.g., olive leaves) and 100 g/day of probiotic artichokes on alternate days.

Participants in the intervention group will be offered to receive appropriate vaccinations according to the national vaccination calendar. Vaccine doses will be provided by the Department of Preventive Medicine, Vaccine Office, National Health Service, on prescription from the general practitioners.