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The Assisted Lifestyle-Intergrated Functional Exercise Program in Older Adults Living in Residential Care Facilities
Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Summary
More than half of older adults living in care homes experience a fall each year, which can cause serious injuries, hospital visits, and a loss of independence. While balance and muscle-strengthening exercises help prevent falls, traditional exercise programs are often difficult for care home residents to maintain because they require set schedules and unfamiliar movements, especially for those experiencing cognitive problems. To address this challenge, our 12-week study evaluated the Assisted Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (ALIFE) program across six residential care homes. Rather than holding separate workout sessions, ALIFE weaves personalized balance and strengthening activities directly into daily routines-such as rising from a chair or practicing steady standing while grooming. Visiting physiotherapists tailored the movements to each resident's needs, while trained care home staff offered gentle reminders and encouragement throughout the program. The investigators compared ALIFE to a traditional structured Otago exercise program (OTAGO) to determine if this approach is feasible, safe, and enjoyable for residents. The investigators expect this lifestyle-based exercise program to be safe, enjoyable, and more effective than the traditional exercise program at helping residents preserve their balance and muscle strength. If successful, it will provide care homes with a practical, low-cost way to turn everyday habits into health-promoting activities without needing expensive equipment. Ultimately, these findings could guide future clinical practice and larger studies aimed at helping older adults stay mobile, confident, and independent.
Official title: Feasibility, Safety, Acceptability, and Effects of an Assisted Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise Program on Balance and Muscle Strength in Older Adults Living in Residential Care Facilities: a Feasibility Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
60 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
49
Start Date
2025-05-01
Completion Date
2026-01-31
Last Updated
2026-09-23
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
ALIFE exercise program
Residents who will be assigned to the ALIFE exercise program will perform balance and muscle strengthening exercises together with associated daily activities for 12 weeks. Outreach physiotherapists will assess the daily routine of participants in the participating facilities. The physiotherapists will help participants to set realistic exercise goals, selecte appropriate balance and muscle strengthening exercises, and pair them with the preferred daily activities. Participants will be recommended to perform the exercises at least once per day whenever the opportunity arises during each day. Personal care workers in the facilities will serve as the facilitators who will provide positive encouragement and remind participants to perform the exercises.
OTAGO exercise program
The OTAGO exercise program is a structured balance and muscle strengthening exercises tailored to the needs and ability of each participant. Based on the balance, muscle strengthen, and mobility levels of participants at baseline, the outreaching physiotherapists will select the appropriate balance and muscle strengthening exercises for participants. They recommend participants to perform the assigned exercises at least once per day. Participants will also be encouraged to walk every day at their usual speed with their walking aids (if any) as often as possible.
Locations (1)
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong, Hong Kong