Christine Loyd, PhD, Geriatric Medicine, Primary Mentor: Dr. Cynthia Brown
Accumulating evidence shows that low mobility exacerbates functional decline and impedes recovery of function in patients after hospitalization. Moreover, increasing mobility during hospitalization positively affects function following hospital stay. Our group recently illustrated that mobility intervention during hospitalization increases community mobility (measured using UAB Life Space Assessment) one-month post-hospitalization. The current project aims to build on these previous findings by testing the effectiveness of a mobility program intervention using Veterans Affairs (VA) patients on recovery to pre-hospital mobility status or better. Specifically, we are interested in determining how well the mobility program aids in reducing adverse outcomes a year following hospitalization. Furthermore, this project also aims to identify patient characteristics that predict how well the program will work in recovery to pre-hospital mobility status and in reducing adverse outcomes a year later. The outcomes of this project have the potential to impact the standard of care for hospital mobility in the Birmingham VA Medical Center and medical centers beyond.