A Novel Anti-Frailty Home Healthcare Program Improves Physical Performance Measures and Increases Independence in Frail Older Adults

Frailty is associated with an increase in mortality and unplanned hospitalization. We aimed to test the ability of a novel home healthcare program to reverse frailty in a geriatric home health population. We designed a home healthcare exercise program including aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility components (Vitality Therapy™, “VT”). We assessed physical performance measures in a frail cohort at baseline, and at multiple follow-up points. Between August 27, 2023 and May 31, 2024, 98 frail adults (35 males, 63 females; mean age 80 ± 10 years) participated in physical therapist-led exercise. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the clinical frailty scale and level of ambulation assistance were assessed. Mixed linear modeling was used to perform statistical significance testing. There were notable improvements in all measured physical performance outcomes among program participants. Pairwise comparisons showed that the SPPB was significantly greater at 120 days ( M = 9.03, SE = 0.48), 90 days ( M = 7.66, SE = 0.41), 60 days ( M = 7.45, SE = 0.31) and at 30 days ( M = 6.39, SE = 0.29) compared to baseline ( M = 4.28, SE = 0.28). Significant improvement was also observed on the clinical frailty scale (F 3, 77.37 = 18 ,24, p < .01) with patients improving their frailty score from 5.67 (SE = 0.17) at baseline to 4.43 (SE = 0.28) after 90 days in the program. The VT program improved physical performance measures and decreased frailty in older adults. Expansion of home healthcare programs targeted to reverse frailty could provide increased access to an impactful intervention for this vulnerable population.