Design and development of a mobile exercise application for home care aides and older adult medicaid home and community-based clients

ABSTRACT

We describe a community-engaged approach with Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS), home care aide (HCA), client, and physical therapist stakeholders to develop a mobile application (app) exercise intervention through focus groups and interviews. Participants desired a short exercise program with modification capabilities, goal setting, and mechanisms to track progress. Concerns regarding participation were training needs and feasibility within usual care services. Technological preferences were for simple, easy-to-use, and engaging content. The app was piloted with HCA-client dyads (n = 5) to refine the intervention and evaluate content. Engaging stakeholders in intervention development provides valuable user-feedback on both desired exercise program contents and mobile technology preferences for HCBS recipients.

KEYWORDS:

• Exercise
• home and community-based care
• home care aides
• mobile applications
• older adults

Funding

This project is supported by the Retirement Research Foundation (#2016-042), in part; by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Grant UL1TR001422; and Performance Health.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This project is supported by the Retirement Research Foundation (#2016-042), in part; by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Grant UL1TR001422; and Performance Health.