A personalised, online intervention is helping older South Australians reverse their risk of becoming frail in years to come by encouraging them to adopt healthier lifestyles.
60 residents over the age of 60 were involved in the Adelaide University trial, which gave half of participants access to a web platform containing evidence-based health and lifestyle advice tailored to their needs. Their outcomes were then compared to the other half of participants, a control group who did not have access to the web platform.
All participants started the trial with a similar frailty risk. By the end of the six-month trial, those using the platform reduced their frailty risk by 15 per cent, while those who didn’t have access saw their frailty risk increase by almost 20 per cent.
“The results show the web platform had a positive impact on participants. Many of the participants who had access were able to reverse their frailty risk and improve their quality of life in just six months of following the program,” said Professor Renuka Visvanathan from Adelaide University’s School of Medicine.
The web platform, developed by the Canadian Frailty Network and adapted for use in Australia, contained different resources about exercise, vaccination, optimised medications, social interaction and healthy diets. It was designed to promote positive changes in behaviour, giving participants the option to earn points for completing tasks and receive nudges to stay motivated.
Participants were also encouraged to attend face-to-face seminars with experts on topics including nutrition and healthy ageing.
“The online intervention was adopted by almost all participants, with almost three quarters of them continuing to follow the program for the duration of the study,” said Professor Visvanathan.
“Nearly everyone involved reported changes in knowledge, particularly in the areas of diet and exercise. Positive behaviour changes were recorded across all health areas, with many participants expressing interest in continuing beyond the study if new content was added over time.”
Frailty is more common as people age, making them more vulnerable to stressors such as infections. Symptoms include slowing down, becoming weaker and losing weight. One in five older Australians are living in the community with frailty.
“People who are frail often find it harder to recover from illness or injury. They are more vulnerable to falls, longer hospital stays and sadly also face an increased risk of mortality,” said Professor Visvanathan.
“But frailty doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of ageing. Our study shows that it can be prevented and the risk can even be reversed with effective, early intervention and education.”
The study was funded by The Hospital Research Foundation Group with the results published in the journal, Age and Ageing. Other collaborators include City of Charles Sturt Council, Adelaide Primary Health Network and the Canadian Frailty Network.
Adelaide University researchers now hope to receive further funding to improve the online intervention and make it more engaging for participants.
“There are few frailty interventions that leverage technology. We would like to explore ways to improve online interventions for seniors, including the development of an app. Eventually, we hope to trial an improved version of the intervention in more council areas across Australia,” said Professor Visvanathan.