Benefits, Barriers and Outcomes of Older Adults Undertaking a Facility-Based Transition Care Program

The research evaluated the impact of transition care programs on older adults’ health and wellbeing by determining the health-related outcomes and the benefits, barriers and enablers for older adults undertaking these programs. Research findings demonstrated that facility-based transition care outcomes vary internationally. Older adults undertaking transition care in a facility in Western Australia demonstrated improved health outcomes. However, some functional deficits persisted and more emotional support to improve older adults’ transition care experience is required

Assessing knowledge, motivation and perceptions about falls prevention among care staff in a residential aged care setting

Falls are a serious problem in residential aged care settings. The aims of the study were to determine the feasibility of surveying care staff regarding falls prevention, and describe care staff levels of knowledge and awareness of residents\u27 risk of falls, knowledge about falls prevention, motivation and confidence to implement falls prevention strategies. A custom designed questionnaire was administered to care staff at one site of a large residential aged care organization in Australia. The survey response was 58.8%. Feedback from staff was used to inform the administration of the survey to the wider organization. Seven (29.2%) care staff reported they were unsure or thought residents were at low risk of falls. Only five (20.8%) care staff were able to suggest more than three preventive strategies. These preliminary findings suggest that education to change care staff behavior regarding falls prevention should target improving care staff knowledge and awareness of falls

Prescribing tailored home exercise program to older adults in the community using a tailored self-modeled video: A pre-post study

Background: Community rehabilitation for older people after hospital discharge is necessary to regain functional ability and independence. However, poor adherence to exercise programs continues to hinder achieving positive health outcomes in older people. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of prescribing a tailored video self-modeled DVD-HEP for 6 weeks, on functional mobility, physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life, in a sample of frail older adults. Materials and methods: A pre- and post-test intervention study design was conducted, with each participant acting as their own control. A convergent, parallel, mixed-methods approach involving quantitative, and qualitative data collection was used. Participants received an individualized assessment at baseline and subsequently were provided with a 30-min tailored 6-week self-modeled DVD-HEP that showed the physiotherapist instructing the participant. The physiotherapist phoned participants fortnightly to encourage engagement in the program and explore responses to it. Outcomes evaluated included functional mobility, balance, gait speed, and exercise self-efficacy. Results: Participants (n = 15) showed clinically meaningful improvements at follow-up compared to baseline in functional mobility (TUGMCID = 3.4–3.5 s, 3-MWTMCID = 0.1–0.2 m/s) and gait speed (3-MWTMCID = 0.1–0.2 m/s). There were also significant improvements in balance and self-efficacy for exercise and a 2.5- and a 1.3-fold increase in moderate and light physical activity participation at follow-up compared to baseline. The deductive themes were: (i) Enjoyment, self-efficacy, and wellbeing; (ii) Achieving life goals; (iii) Background music as a motivator to adherence; and (iv) Enhanced motor performance and learning: Task goal mastery, multimodal feedback, autonomy to self-regulate learning. The new inductive theme was (v) Preference for in-person support for exercise. Conclusion: Future studies are warranted to compare a tailored self-modeled video HEP to face-to-face programs and other digital health modalities to evaluate older adults\u27 adherence levels and functional improvement