Combating Hospital-related Function Decline Among Prefrail Older Adults: A Pilot Study

Launched by THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG · Dec 20, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called "Combating Hospital-related Function Decline Among Prefrail Older Adults," is testing a program called STEP@Home. The goal of this program is to help older adults who are at risk of losing their physical abilities after being hospitalized. The study involves a mix of methods to gather both numbers and personal experiences to understand how effective the exercise program is.

To join the trial, participants need to be at least 60 years old and classified as "prefrail," meaning they have some signs of weakness or fatigue. They should have been discharged from the hospital without needing community care support and must be able to follow exercise instructions. However, people who have been exercising regularly or have certain health conditions that make exercise unsafe cannot participate. If eligible, participants can expect to receive a tailored exercise program at home, which aims to enhance their strength and overall health. This study is currently recruiting participants, and everyone's involvement will help improve care for older adults facing similar challenges.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • i) aged 60 or above, ii) prefrail as defined by a score of 1-2 on the Frail Scale (FS) which measures fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness and weight loss over the last 4 weeks, iii) discharged home without any community care referral, iv) cognitively capable to receive exercise training as indicated by an Abbreviated Mental Test score of ≥ 6, and v) consented to participate
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • (i) engaging in moderate or vigorous exercise (\>60min/week) in the past 6 months, and (ii) with conditions contradictory to exercise training (e.g., acute muscular-skeletal problem, acute and unstable cardio-respiratory disease, etc).