ACTIVE-AGE@home

Not all elderly people grow old healthy. Some of them are confronted with multiple and chronic health problems, with the 'vulnerability syndrome' (Frailty) being one of the most important geriatric syndromes. Frailty manifests itself in an accumulation of physical, mental and social problems during aging. A person's reserve capacity decreases to such an extent that even a slight external pressure (e.g. illness, emotional factors, etc.) can have significant negative consequences. This includes risk of falling, functional decline and loss of autonomy, hospitalization and increased mortality.

According to the World Health Organization, an active lifestyle is an important determinant of healthy aging and regular participation in moderate physical activity is recommended. But many older people experience barriers such as anxiety and lack of motivation and therefore have a lack of physical activity, which contributes to the frailty syndrome. It is therefore essential to focus on increasing physical activity in this vulnerable group.

In 2015, a functional exercise program was developed for frail elderly and was named ACTIVE-AGE@home. The exercise program is based on the existing evidence from the international literature and tailored to the preferences of the frail elderly, so that the perceived barriers are overcome. It also takes into account the capabilities of the healthcare providers and the existing healthcare system – and facilities to ensure a broad implementation.

With this research project the effect of ACTIVE-AGE@home was investigated in an experimental design, using a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) with an experimental and control group.

A total of 71 research subjects participated in AA@home, randomly divided between the exercise and control groups. We found few significant effects in favor of the exercise program on the purely physical aspects. There was no significant effect on self-reliance, such as self-care activities (eating, washing, …), household activities (dishwashing, cooking, …) and hobbies and relaxation. Improvements were observed on the more subjective outcome measures (such as participation rate and health-related quality of life, for example). The logbooks that were kept showed that the participants felt a positive effect on fitness, they felt stronger, more stable, more flexible, more confident, they reported less fear of falling and generally felt better about themselves after the exercise program.

The program was further adapted on the basis of the evaluation with the participants. A package with exercise material is being developed.

Valorisation

The self-designed functional exercise program ACTIV-AGE@home (Actief@thuis) is built around daily activities at home. It aims to counter the vulnerability of frail over-70s and to increase functionality. The eight-week program consists of exercises based on daily activities. The exercises are individualized and performed alone or with two or three elderly people together, preferably at the home of the elderly. The results of the research project ACTIV-AGE@ home show that frail elderly - after completing the eight-week exercise program - experience positive effects on a physical and mental level as well as a higher self-reliance.

At the request of the healthcare sector, ACTIV-AGE@ home is now being made accessible and available. Promotional materials (brochures, posters, participation in events) and a ready-made range of exercises (exercise booklets, training sheets, instructional videos) are available for professionals and volunteers.

Learn more about this exercise program on a study day that can be tailored to size: this combines a fascinating introduction to recent research on the elderly and exercise, and a hands-on session. In addition, the opportunity is offered to discuss the experiences with ACTIVE @THUIS by means of two return sessions.

Program (to be discussed)

Teachers

This study day is provided and supervised by Marianne Belpaire (teacher Physical Education and Recreational Movement) and Kathleen Willems (teacher Occupational Therapy) and students from both courses. 

More information: marianne.belpaire@arteveldehs.be or kathleen.willems@arteveldehs.be