Facilitators and Barriers to Attendance in a Nursing Home Exercise Program

Abstract

SummaryWomen and residents in Certified Nursing Homes (CNHs) with higher star ratings had better attendance in exercise and social engagement programming (ie, Bingocize) than men and residents in CNHs with lower ratings. ObjectiveThe purpose of the current study was to determine whether resident factors and nursing home star ratings influenced attendance in Bingocize, a therapeutic exercise program that incorporates opportunities for social engagement in nursing homes. DesignThis is a descriptive study of data collected across multiple nursing homes over 17 months. Setting and ParticipantsData were collected from residents in 25 certified nursing homes in the mid-southern United States. MethodsThe program consisted of two 45–60-minute sessions each week. Bingocize attendance was recoded as number of sessions attended each month from September 2017 to February 2019 in 25 nursing homes. The impact of gender, age, cognitive functioning, and Nursing Home Star Ratings on adherence to the program based on percentage of Bingocize sessions attended was analyzed. ResultsA total of 1165 residents of certified nursing homes were recruited and participated in Bingocize; 55% of participants attended Bingocize infrequently or had poor attendance, 21% of the participants had average attendance, and 24% had good attendance. The association between gender and level of attendance was significant (P = .045). The star rating of the nursing home also affected attendance. As star level of the nursing home increased, the percentage of good attendance increased (P < .001): 19.12% (1 star), 20.69% (2 stars), 23.57% (3 stars), 33.76% (4 stars), and 36.63% (5 stars). Neither age nor cognitive functioning [based on Brief Interview of Mental Status (BIMS)] had a significant impact on attendance. Conclusions and ImplicationsWe examined adherence to an exercise program called Bingocize based on percentage of sessions attended in 25 nursing homes. Women and residents in nursing homes with higher star ratings were reported to have better attendance in Bingocize than men or residents in nursing homes with lower ratings, respectively. Residents of all ages and cognitive ability can successfully participate in the Bingocize program.