Authors (including presenting author) :
Wong MY, Sit LMK, Fan SHU, Ip YY, Lau ST, Chan WK, Ho CM
Affiliation :
Occupational Therapy Department, Tai Po Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Daily Community LiFE (DC-LiFE) program
Keyword 2: :
Post-stroke patients
Keyword 3: :
Post-hip fracture patients
Keyword 4: :
Community reintegration
Introduction :
Fear of fall and difficulties in community living are common challenges faced by post-stroke or post-hip fracture patients. Limited activity tolerance and environmental barriers limit their accessibility and community participation. The Daily Community LiFE (DC-LiFE) program based on the Lifestyle-integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) framework (2010) was developed for patients in Geriatric Day Hospital at Tai Po Hospital to address this concern. This program focuses on intensive LiFE-based training in an outdoor context and aims to improve patients’ confidence and competence in community reintegration.
Objectives :
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the DC-LiFE program on community living patients recovering from stroke or hip fractures.
Methodology :
Participants recruited for training were: 1) patients recovered from stroke or hip fracture, 2) Independent in activities of daily living (ADL), and 3) active participation in instrumental ADL (IADL) prior to their conditions. The program comprises: 1) balance and strengthening training, 2) outdoor LiFE IADL training activities including shopping, using community facilities and transportation, and 3) prescription of HA Go home program. The effectiveness of the program was assessed by: 1) Modified Barthel Index (MBI), 2) Lawton IADL scale, 3) Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), 4) Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, 5) Fall Efficacy Scale (FES), and 6) Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ).
Result & Outcome :
25 participants (Male=11; Female=14) with a mean age of 68.0 ± 8.2 years were recruited to the DC-LiFE program from April 2025 to October 2025. Wilconxin Signed Ranks test results showed statistically significant pre-post changes in the mean score of MBI (Z=−3.63), Lawton IADL scale (Z=−3.30), SPPB (Z=−3.80), ABC Scale (Z=−4.04), FES (Z=−4.38), and CIQ (Z=−3.64). All post- scores were significantly higher than pre- score and all p < .001. The relatively higher Z-scores in ABC Scale and FES even indicated a strong effect in the pre-post comparison.
Results showed that the DC-LiFE program has significantly boosted patients’ efficacy and confidence with decreased fear of fall in outdoor and community access. Furthermore, it demonstrated substantial effectiveness as a training modality for patients in enhancing their functional mobility and ADL / IADL functioning, which helps them to resume previous roles and reintegrate into the community.
