Physical Activity for Older Home Care Clients Receiving a Restorative Care Program

LiFE is the Lifestyle and Functional Exercise Program. The LiFE physical activity program integrates physical activity into daily tasks and routines. LiFE will be delivered by the Care Managers as part of the restorative care service in the clients home (visits are generally every 10 days to two weeks, for a total period of 8 weeks). All Care Managers are allied health specialists (OT, physio, RN) and have been trained to deliver the LiFE program. Clients will receive a manual outlining the activities (eg one leg stand for balance, sit to stand out of a chair for strength) and the Care Managers will give a number of these activities to the clients at each visit (dependent on the illness/injury stage for the client, the expertise of the Care Manager will be required to determine this). Clients will be asked to incorporate these activities into their daily routines, for example to pick something up off the floor by bending their knees and squatting rather than bending at the waist, reach up for a cup to maintain calf and ankle strength rather than placing it within easy access. The LiFE philosophy is to embed these activities into daily living and therefore not require the client to complete a set number of reps, sets or volume per week, unlike most activity programs. It is this variation that is being tested in comparison to the "current" exercise program which outlines set, reps and times per week of a number of exercises provided to the client on a doublesided piece of paper. The restorative care service is delivered for a period of 8 weeks meaning most clients will receive four sessions with their Care Manager. Each session with the Care Manager runs between 1-2 hours, dependent on the progress of the client and how much explanation is required across all components of the restorative care program (not only the physical activity component).