BMC Geriatrics (Oct 2024)

Impact of telephone coaching supporting a physical maintenance exercise programme for older adults at risk of falls: a randomised controlled trial

  • Guy Rince,
  • Christelle Volteau,
  • June Fortin,
  • Catherine Coat Couturier,
  • Thomas Rulleau

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-024-05488-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 24, no. 1
pp. 1 – 10

Abstract

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Abstract Background Encouraging compliance with recommended levels of exercise for older adults is a public health challenge. A minimal-resource solution is telephone coaching. Objectives Primary aim: to compare timed up and go (TUG) performance 6 months after beginning a home exercise program between a group of older individuals who received additional telephone coaching, and a control group performing the home exercise program alone. Secondary aims: to compare functional and fall-related outcomes between groups at 6 and 12 months. Methods Multicentre, assessor-blinded, randomised, controlled, open label, prospective study. Inclusion criteria included age ≥ 65 years, ≥ 1 fall in the past year, and discharged home from hospital rehabilitation or outpatient physiotherapy. All participants received a home exercise booklet and were asked to perform a set of exercises as often as possible (daily). The coaching group additionally received a monthly telephone call (total 5 calls) from their previous physiotherapist. Primary outcome was TUG performance at 6 months. Outcomes were measured at inclusion, and at 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome was analysed using a linear mixed model adjusted for the baseline value. Results In total, 99 individuals were included (coaching group n = 50, control group, n = 49; mean [SD] age 83.1 [5.8] years and 77% women). TUG performance did not differ between groups at 6 months (adjusted difference 1.37, SE 1.32, 95% CI 1.26 to 4.01, p = 0.30). Secondary outcomes did not differ between groups at 6 or 12 months except compliance to the exercise program was higher in the coaching than the control group at 6 months (adjusted difference 1.0, SE 0.5, 95% CI 0.02 to 2.0, p = 0.05). Conclusions The lack of difference between the groups in the time taken to complete the TUG at 6 months suggests that the monthly telephone coaching sessions did not improve the effectiveness of a home exercise programme in elderly people who had suffered at least one fall. The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02828826; 11th of july 2016, last modification 16th of September 2024).

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