Development and formative evaluation of the Centre for Activity and Ageing's Home Support Exercise Program for frail older adults

The Home Support Exercise Program (HSEP) was developed to reach frail commu nity seniors through home support workers (HSWs) rather than more costly he alth care professionals such as visiting nurses or physical therapists. Thi s article describes the development and formative evaluation of the HSEP pr ototype, including the training of case managers and HSWs. In the HSEP's fi nal form, each client is instructed on 10 simple, functional, and progressi ve exercises and given an illustrated booklet and a short video. Ongoing en couragement is provided by specifically trained HSWs during regular visits (at least once a week). Formative evaluation of the HSEP model was used to examine and resolve implementation and delivery issues. Qualitative data we re collected through focus groups or interviews with each stakeholder group -administrators/coordinators, case managers, HSWs, agency supervisors, and clients themselves. Evaluation findings were used to modify training, instr uctional, and support materials and the exercises.