SMART-PHONE APPLICATION EVALUATION FOR OLDER ADULTS PRESCRIBED PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR FALL PREVENTION

摘要

Strength and balance exercise reduces fall risk in older adults (OAs), but low adherence is a key barrier to realizing the benefits of an exercise routine. We partnered with a smart-phone application manufacturer to test the feasibility and effectiveness of Wellpepper, an application designed to improve adherence to physical therapy-based (PT) exercise, with OAs at high fall risk. Wellpepper provides users access to personalized videos taken during PT sessions that show the OA or physical therapist performing exercises. Wellpepper also generates reminders, allows communication between the OA and physical therapist, and facilitates tracking exercise completion, pain and/or other difficulty with the exercises. Study participants are community-dwelling OAs aged 65+ who are undergoing PT for fall risk reduction, their physical therapists, and their caregivers. Data collection consists of interviews to assess user perceptions and a survey to assess physical activity level, fear of falling, and confidence to perform at-home exercise. Data collection is ongoing. Findings to date (N=4 physical therapists, 2 OAs) suggest that physical therapists are eager to use these tools in their practice and believe that the tools will help the OA adhere to their home exercise program. OAs are willing and able to use smart-phone applications as part of their exercise routine following instruction in use of the application. Effectiveness data indicate that the OA participants have a strong commitment to their at-home routines and low fear of falling at the close of the intervention period. Data from the entire study sample will be presented at the meeting.