Multiuser Exercise-Based Telerehabilitation Intervention for Older Adults with Frailty

Objectives Telerehabilitation has emerged as a crucial modality in light of recent global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the effectiveness of a mobile health telerehabilitation intervention developed for older adults with frailty and conducted an article search on this topic in the context of Japan. Methods Six participants received a nursing care telerehabilitation intervention (Rehab Studio) that included exercise training videos. The participants were aged ≥65 years, had no history of dementia or psychiatric disorders, and had mild-to-moderate care needs. For 1 month, the participants received 1-h live online rehabilitation sessions with real-time communication with rehabilitation specialists. The quality of life (QoL) (EuroQol 5 dimensions 5-level [EQ-5D-5L] and self-rated health scores were recorded before and after the intervention and analysed to determine whether the service was effective. Data were analysed using paired t-tests. Results Significant differences were found in the total EQ-5D-5L and self-rated health scores (p< 0.05). The mean EQ-5D-5L score increased from 0.63±0.13 before the intervention to 0.77±0.14 after the intervention (p=0.010), while the mean self-rated health score increased from 66.0±18.0 to 83.3±10.3, respectively (p=0.019). Conclusions The telerehabilitation intervention is safe and can improve the QoL. However, the effectiveness of the intervention needs to be further investigated in patients with poor performance in activities of daily living. Telerehabilitation could help reduce the burden of nursing care in ageing societies with declining birthrates.