By Natasha Bryant and Verena Cimarolli
LivWell participants experienced meaningful improvements in physical function, safety, independence, and health behaviors.
Older adults living in subsidized senior housing communities are at risk of poor health outcomes and functional challenges. These challenges can create barriers that prevent residents from accessing services that support physical and mental health, as well as personal wellness.
To address these issues, Springpoint Senior Living partnered with Parker Health Group to develop the LivWell Wellness Program. The program aims to increase physical activity among older adults, reduce fall risk, improve functional fitness, and enhance social interaction, quality of life, and brain health.
After 18 months in the program, LivWell participants experienced meaningful improvements in physical function, safety, independence, and health behaviors, according to an evaluation conducted by the LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston.
To learn more about the LivWell program and the LTSS Center’s evaluation, read the research brief and review the infographic.
About LivWell
LivWell is grounded in physical exercise and integrates social activities, emotional support, and spiritual wellness. The hybrid model includes:
- Exercise classes, including in-person classes led by instructors and television-based classes.
- Brain health classes.
- Health education.
- Guided meditation.
Participants complete a health questionnaire and fitness assessment at enrollment, with follow-up assessments every six months. LivWell staff developed and implemented a dashboard to capture and display resident assessment data, enabling them to track individual progress and program outcomes over time.
The LTSS Center evaluated the impact of the LivWell program across six Springpoint communities that had implemented it for at least six months. The evaluation team analyzed assessment data from 220 residents at baseline and at three follow-up points over 18 months. Researchers also interviewed housing and program staff and held focus groups with participants.
Findings from the Participants’ Assessment Data
After 18 months in the program, participants saw meaningful improvements:
- Physical function, safety, and independence: Participants showed significant improvements in flexibility, lower-body strength, mobility, and functional performance. They also experienced decreases in fall incidence, the percentage of participants requiring arm assistance to stand from a chair, and self-reported unsteadiness.
- Health behaviors: The percentage of participants meeting the recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise increased, and the average weight decreased by about 3 pounds.
- Association between in-person exercise and outcomes: More frequent participation in in-person exercise classes was significantly associated with higher physical activity levels, a lower likelihood of reporting unsteadiness, less reliance on arms when standing, and less positive ratings of their mood.
Participants and Staff Perspectives of LivWell
Both participants and staff reported high satisfaction with LivWell and identified similar program benefits and challenges.
- Program benefits: Participants and staff identified two primary benefits of the LivWell program: reducing social isolation and improving physical health.
- Class preferences: Participants and staff reported that participants preferred in-person, instructor-led classes to television-based programming. The classes participants liked the most included brain health classes, the “Stick-To-It” drumming-based movement class, meditation sessions, outdoor walking groups, and interactive classes such as resistance-band workouts, dancing, chair ball, volleyball, chair yoga, and cornhole.
- Barriers and Solutions: The three most common barriers to participation were physical limitations, scheduling conflicts, and language barriers. Staff addressed these concerns by reassuring residents that instructors would modify exercises and allow self-paced participation, coordinating LivWell activities with other community programs, and using translation tools.
To learn more about the LivWell program and the LTSS Center’s evaluation, read the research brief and review the infographic.