Disadvantages of immobility include an increased risk of functional disability, falls, and premature mortality (Hubbard, Parsons, Neilson, & Carey, 2009). There are numerous mobility interventions focused on community-dwelling frail older adults (Sherrington et al., 2019); however, they either have a narrow focus on falls prevention (Fairhall, Sherrington, & Cameron, 2013) (Sherrington et al., 2019) or they target mildly frail older adults (Johnson, Myers, Scholey, Cyarto, & Ecclestone, 2003) (Giangregorio et al., 2018) (Binder et al., 2002). A review of home-based mobility interventions concluded that high-risk older adults who have been recently discharged from hospital may require an intervention that is tailored specifically for them (Hill, Hunter, Batchelor, Cavalheri, & Burton, 2015) (Sherrington et al., 2019).

This project created an evidence-informed, theory-driven mobility tool for community-dwelling older adults who are moderately and severely frail called SLoT (Stretch Lift or Tap), to encourage more movement to their daily routines. This intervention will be implementable with frail older adults in partnership with any care provider in the home. The study will focus on collecting feedback from two main providers of care – personal support workers (PSWs) and family caregivers. This intervention was co-created with older adults, PSWs, and their caregivers.

We are currently looking for older adult volunteers (and their caregivers) to test out our SLoT materials (above) and participate in a before and after confidential survey to understand how this physical activity program impacts their quality of life. We are also looking for feedback on what other tools might be useful to help encourage older adults with frailty to move more indoors. The surveys will take approximately 30 minutes of your time. Participation is voluntary and you may withdraw your participation at any time.