NCT06586970

Occupational Therapy and Registered Dietitian Services to Reduce Fall Risk Among Home Delivered Meal Clients

Tailored Occupational Therapy and Registered Dietitian Services for Home-Delivered Meal Clients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 750 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Ohio State University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine which of the following four service models is most effective for reducing fall risk among home-delivered meal clients: (1) meals alone, (2) meals + registered dietitian services, (3) meals + occupational therapy services, (4) meals + registered dietitian + occupational therapy services.

Detailed description

Home delivered meal programs provide essential health and nutritional support to community-dwelling older adults in the United States. Without this support, nearly three million older adults would be at even greater risk for malnourishment and subsequent health decline, leading to potential hospitalizations and nursing home placements. Despite the reported value of home delivered meals, the increasingly complex health needs of the older adult population warrant new, innovative approaches that enhance home-delivered meal services. In our prior work, we identified that the majority of home delivered meal clients are at high risk for malnutrition, increasing clients' risk of falling and warranting the need for registered dietitian services to attenuate health decline. Additionally, our other work has identified that 80% of home delivered meal clients are at elevated risk for falling,6 and over 40% have experienced a fall in the past year. The high prevalence of fall risk factors among home delivered clients suggests that additional services - such as occupational therapy - are also needed to optimize clients' ability to safely remain living in their own homes and communities. In response to home delivered meal clients' need for more enhanced and specialized services, the present study will test four different service models to determine which model is most effective for reducing fall-related outcomes.

Conditions

• Diet, Food and Nutrition
• Accidental Falls
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Diabetes
• Debility
• Frailty
• Functional Disability

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Meals + RD services	Registered dietitians (RD) will provide tailored dietitian counseling and nutrition education
BEHAVIORAL	Meals + OT services	Occupational therapists (OT) will provide tailored home safety recommendations and fall prevention education/strategies
BEHAVIORAL	Meals + RD + OT services	A combination of tailored registered dietitian and occupational therapy services will be provided

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-08-20
• Primary completion: 2027-03-31
• Completion: 2027-07-31
• First posted: 2024-09-19
• Last updated: 2026-04-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States