Article

Live Long Walk Strong is a clinical demonstration program for community-dwelling
older patients. It was designed to be consistent with current fall prevention
guidelines and reimbursed under the Medicare model. Patients were screened within
primary care and referred to a physiatrist followed by systematic assessment and
treatment within an outpatient rehabilitative care setting. The treatment
included behavioral modification, fall prevention education, community/home
exercise integration, and exercise targeting strength, power, flexibility,
balance, and endurance. Treatment duration and frequency varied with each patient
based on baseline presentation, clinical judgment, and patient preference.
Program feasibility and preliminary effectiveness were evaluated by assessing
participation and changes in physical performance, respectively. There were 266
patients referred to the program, and 147 were willing to participate. Of these,
116 patients completed all scheduled visits (10.8 +/- 3.9 visits). The
noncompleters (n = 31) had a higher rate of falls in the previous 6 months and
lower baseline Short Physical Performance Battery composite score. At the
completion of care, the adjusted mean change in Short Physical Performance
Battery was 1.66 units, surpassing a large clinically meaningful threshold (1
unit). The Live Long Walk Strong program appears to be feasible to implement and
demonstrates preliminary effectiveness in enhancing mobility among older adults.

Langue : ANGLAIS