Feasibility of engaging older adults living with multiple long-term conditions, frailty, and a recent deterioration in health in a study of lifestyle: protocol for the LiLL-OPM study

Abstract

Community-dwelling older adults living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC), frailty and a recent deterioration in health are underserved by research. This results in a limited evidence base for their care, including the potential benefits of lifestyle interventions such as structured exercise. The aims of the LiLL-OPM (Lifestyle in Later Life - Older People’s Medicine) study are to determine if it is feasible to carry out a research project with these patients, describe their health and lifestyle, their attitudes to engaging in exercise and their experiences of taking part in the research. Older adults who are attending an Older People’s Medicine Day Unit service in Newcastle, UK, and their informal carers will be invited to take part. The study will use mixed methods with semi-structured interviews and a health and lifestyle questionnaire, carried out in a way that is most convenient to participants, including in their own homes and with a flexible schedule of study visits. The findings from the feasibility study will provide invaluable data on how to design research, including the most suitable approaches to recruitment and data collection. This will improve the inclusion in research of older adults living with MLTC, frailty and a recent deterioration in health.

Resistance exercise training for older adults living with multiple long-term conditions, frailty, and a recent deterioration in health: Qualitative insights from the Lifestyle in Later Life – Older People’s Medicine (LiLL-OPM) study

“…This qualitative investigation was part of the Lifestyle in Later Life -Older People's Medicine (LiLL-OPM) study conducted in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. A full description of the LiLL-OPM study including aims, recruitment strategy and data collection can be found in the published protocol paper [7]. Brie y, the LiLL-OPM study was designed to: 1) determine if it is feasible and acceptable to carry out a research project with older adults living with MLTC, frailty and a recent deterioration in health and 2) describe the health and lifestyle of these older adults, and included both quantitative and qualitative data collection [7].…”

“…A full description of the LiLL-OPM study including aims, recruitment strategy and data collection can be found in the published protocol paper [7]. Brie y, the LiLL-OPM study was designed to: 1) determine if it is feasible and acceptable to carry out a research project with older adults living with MLTC, frailty and a recent deterioration in health and 2) describe the health and lifestyle of these older adults, and included both quantitative and qualitative data collection [7]. The study included questionnaire-based assessment of several health and lifestyle factors including health status and physical function, physical activity, diet, appetite, smoking, and alcohol consumption.…”

“…Accordingly, this group of older adults are commonly seen within clinical practice [6], yet there remains a limited evidence base for their care as they are typically underserved by research [7,8].…”

The feasibility and acceptability of engaging older adults living with multiple long-term conditions, frailty, and a recent deterioration in health in research: findings from the Lifestyle in Later Life – Older People’s Medicine (LiLL-OPM) study

“…Individuals living with the combination of MLTC and frailty are more likely to experience a deterioration in their health requiring specialist referral or hospital admission than individuals without these syndromes [2]. Older people who have experienced a recent deterioration in their health are often excluded from clinical research, despite being at a point in their illness trajectory where they are most likely to interact with healthcare services and require evidence-based care [7,8]. Including these older adults in research is important as taking part in clinical research can improve evidence-based care and lead to better outcomes for patients [9,10].…”

“…However, less is known of the barriers to research participation in older adults living with the combination of MLTC and frailty who have experienced a recent deterioration in health-a group of patients whose unpredictable illness trajectory may make clinicians reluctant to include them in research [8]. Understanding the barriers which prevent this group engaging in research, as well as how to design and deliver research to meet the needs of this group, is necessary to develop the evidence base for their care [7].…”