Preserving Ability Through Virtual Exercise (PAVE): An Intervention to Increase the Physical Activity of Hospitalized Older Adults
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Summary
Each day in the hospital leads to functional decline and loss of muscle mass, which older adults can find difficult or impossible to restore in the post-acute period. The overall objective of this proposed project is to explore the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a virtual reality physical activity intervention at helping older adults engage in physical activity and maintain physical function and mental health during their hospital stay. As virtual reality technology becomes more affordable and ubiquitously available across the world, this study will demonstrate how this technology could be leveraged to maintain the function of older adults in the hospital.
Description
Older adults (≥60 years) experience multi-level barriers to physical activity when hospitalized. Patient level barriers to physical activity when hospitalized include tethers (e.g., foley catheters, intravenous infusions), symptoms of their acute illness (e.g., pain, fatigue), low self-efficacy to perform physical activity, and a perception that they should remain on bedrest when hospitalized. Interpersonal barriers to physical activity, highlighted during this post pandemic environment, include staffing shortages and increased patient acuity, which can force nurses to prioritize other critica…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 55+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. in the last 72 hours, they were admitted to the medical floor that is the setting of the study, 2. are 55 years or older, 3. their bedside nurse approves their physical activity participation in this study Exclusion Criteria: 1. they are unable to pass the Evaluation to Sign Consent Measure, 2. they score 20 or lower on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Basic, 3. they have an admitting diagnosis that could be worsened through virtual reality exercise, 4. they have an attached medical device that decreases the safety of physical activity such as a nasogastric tube or c…
Interventions
- BehavioralPAVE intervention
The commercial virtual reality app that will be used for the intervention, Supernatural, provides participants a trainer as they use their arms and legs (e.g., seated knee strikes) to smash targets to 500+ musical tracks. In this manner, this study employs fun as a motivator for exercise commencement and adherence while hospitalized. The research assistant will implement the intervention using the three-step approach including: (1) patient mobility screen, (2) orientation to the technology and intervention, and (3) ongoing assessment, adaptation, and motivation.
- BehavioralEducation control
Education control participants will receive and physical activity education using the NIH "Get Fit for Life" booklet.
Location
- UMMC Midtown CampusBaltimore, Maryland