Gaster | Jurnal Ilmu Kesehatan · Aug 31, 2026
Functional Balance Following Chair-Based Exercise Among Older Women in a Jakarta Social Care Institution
By Chintya MC, Lindawati
Introduction: Age-related changes in postural control can affect mobility and independence in institutionalized older adults. Objective: To describe short-term changes in Berg Balance Scale (BBS) scores after chair-based exercise among older women at Panti Sosial Tresna Werdha Budi Mulia 2, Jakarta. Method: This single-group pretest–posttest study included 44 older women. Eight chair-based exercise sessions were planned over four weeks. Functional balance was assessed using the BBS, and paired scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Result: Mean BBS scores increased from 37.27 - 2.46 to 39.16 - 2.93 (difference, 1.89 points). Forty-two participants had higher scores, two had unchanged scores, and none had lower scores (Z : 5.752; p 0.001). Conclusion: BBS scores increased over the observation period. Without a comparison group or fall-incidence outcomes, causality, clinical importance, and fall prevention cannot be established.