Post-acute Multicomponent Frailty Intervention

Feasibility of a Multicomponent Frailty Intervention During Post-acute Rehabilitation in Skilled Nursing Facilities

The goal is to test feasibility of a frailty intervention, including exercises and nutritional supplementation.

The frailty intervention includes frequent short exercise sessions incorporating balance, resistance training, and walking to accommodate diminished endurance, with synergistic protein and nutritional supplementation, delivered on top of usual care in the post-acute Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) setting. There is no control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Community-dwelling before hospitalization
• Age ≥ 65 years
• Admitted to SNF directly from inpatient hospitalization
• English speaking
• Mild Frailty or worse, as measured by a Clinical Frailty Scale

Exclusion Criteria:

• Discharged from Emergency Department
• Non-community discharge plan on admission (e.g. plan to discharge to hospice)
• Nothing per oral (NPO) dietary status
• Presence of any feeding tube
• Chronic kidney disease stage IV or worse
• Clinician refusal
• Inability or refusal to consume intervention products (e.g. allergies to protein supplement)
• Inability to consent to study procedures