Development of a Power Training Program to Improve Mobility in Older Veterans

VA Office of Research and Development

Status: Begins enrollment in 1 month

Conditions: Mobility Decline; Physical Deconditioning

Treatments: Other: Gerofit Standard of Care; Other: Gerofit Power Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT07210645

25-1070 (Other Identifier)

RRD8-001-24W

Details and patient eligibility

About

The overall purpose of this study is to develop a power training intervention in partnership with Veterans participating in Gerofit and to evaluate the program's acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary participant outcomes (leg power, physical function and self-report participation).

Full description

The overall purpose of this project is to co-design a power training intervention for Veterans engaged in Gerofit and to assess its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary participant outcomes. Gerofit Veterans and exercise providers will participate in co-designing the power training intervention through interviews and feedback sessions. The power training program developed will be tested in the subsequent randomized feasibility pilot. This pilot aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a power training program in older Veterans participating in Gerofit using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Veterans newly enrolled in the Gerofit program will be randomized into power training and standard of care groups and will participate in exercise sessions over 6 months. Feasibility and acceptability will be assessed by Veteran adherence to program components and by validated surveys. Quantitative data collection will inform qualitative interviews with Veterans on the acceptability and feasibility of the power training program at its completion. Clinical outcomes will be collected (leg power, physical function, and self-report participation) at baseline, 3 months and 6 months and will be compared between the Gerofit power training and Gerofit standard of care groups. Study findings will lead to the development of a power training program that optimally meets Veteran and Gerofit program needs. In addition, study outcomes will guide implementation of a power training program into Gerofit programs aimed at enhancing mobility outcomes in older Veterans.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Pilot Study Criteria:

• Veterans 65 years of age and older
• New enrollees of the Rocky Mountain Regional Gerofit Program
• ability to function independently in a group setting

Exclusion criteria

• inability to perform basic activities of daily living
• oxygen dependency
• unstable cardiac disease
• moderate to severe cognitive impairment (Montreal cognitive assessment scores < 24)
• proliferative diabetic retinopathy
• relative exclusions for participation in the in-person Gerofit exercise program including: open wounds, incontinence, and lack of transportation
• inability to ambulate
• progressive neurological diagnoses (e.g. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis)
• individuals with planned orthopedic surgeries in the next 3 months

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Gerofit Power Training Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

This group will be randomized to receive Gerofit power training intervention for 6 months. They will receive power training as part of each Gerofit exercise session. Gerofit exercise sessions also include aerobic, flexibility, and balance training.

Treatment:

Other: Gerofit Power Training

Gerofit Standard of Care

Active Comparator group

Description:

This group will be randomized to receive standard of care exercise Gerofit exercise prescription for 6 months. Standard of care exercise for the Gerofit program includes combined aerobic, strength, flexibility and balance training.

Treatment:

Other: Gerofit Standard of Care