Abstract
Objective: Exercise programs have been found to have substantial benefits for older persons, but implementing these programs with frail homebound seniors is challenging. The project team aimed to evaluate an in-home exercise program for older adults – the Victorian Order of Nurses' for Canada's SMART (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together)® (VON SMART®) In-Home Exercise Program– in which the exercises are led by trained volunteers. The majority of volunteers were females who exercise regularly. Over half of the volunteers were 60 years of age or older, and over half had had prior health or fitness training. Volunteers reported receiving multiple benefits from performing their role as an exercise leader.
Participants: From January to August, 2009, a total of 59 volunteers, seven Site Coordinators, and 33 home-bound older (mean age: 80 years; SD: 8.8) clients from eight VON sites and one partner organization participated in the evaluation.
Methods: Data collection included pre-post quantitative measures of participants' physical function, satisfaction surveys of participants, follow up semi-structured interviews of participants, feedback surveys of volunteers and site coordinators, and a focus group interview of site coordinators.
Results: The Chair Stand test (p< 0.001), the Reaching Forward test (p=0.028), the Activities Balance Confidence Scale (p=0.02), as well as measures of activities of daily living (ADL) inside the home (p=0.001) and outside the home (p=0.009) showed significant improvement.
Conclusions: This evaluation showed that the exercises improved participants' strength, flexibility, balance, and ability to perform ADL. This study provides additional evidence of the benefits of in-home exercise for frail seniors, and supports a role for volunteers in delivering these programs. The volunteers reported receiving social benefits of meeting new people, being able to see the difference they helped make in others, as well as personal physical benefits from exercising more.