Do older adults (peers/buddies) increase participation of older adults in strength and balance training

Strength training (ST): The ST program for both groups will run for 12-weeks and participants will be assisted and encouraged to complete their ST program twice weekly. This prescription accords with the guidelines for prescribing strength training program for older adults (American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. 9th ed. Baltimore, MD: Wolters Kluwer; Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 2014). A physiotherapist experienced in working with older people will individually prescribe and tailor the program for each participant in their home. The physiotherapist will visit each exercise participant every 4 weeks (3 sessions plus post-testing total). During these visits they will evaluate and assess each participant’s exercises and will give advice and add additional exercises / modify exercises according to each participant’s assessments. Participants will be provided with the program (hard copy) and a set of dumbbells, ankle weights and therabands of varying weights and strengths. Each program will be individualized to each participant, in general they will be asked to complete 3 sets of 10-15 reps depending on their strength and balance levels at baseline assessment (ie tests used include TUG, 6MWT, STS-5, FR, tandem walk, hand grip strength) . Sessions will be for approx 45 minutes including warm up and cool down. Some of the exercises will include, squats, lunges, bicept curls, push ups against the wall etc Peer Support: In addition to the ST the intervention group will receive peer support. This consists of peers providing encouragement and feedback from their experience in participating in ST and building relationships with the exercise participants to encourage them to continue with ST during and after the 12-week intervention. An initial meeting for peers and intervention group participants will be held face-to-face within the week of the initial assessment, and after the link is formally established, weekly contact (via phone call, minimum 5 minutes) commences and is scaled up according to each peer / participant pair, with support from the Peer Group coordinator (Research Assistant who is an older person). Peers complete an assessment sheet after each call which includes time on the phone or type of communication (if face to face is chosen), what was discussed, any issues, how they liked being a peer that day (likert scale). ST training participants complete a diary each time they participate in a workout which includes what exercises they did, what weight, how many sets and reps, how they enjoyed it that day (likert scale).