If you are considering offering a telewellness program for the people you serve, a new guide can help. “TechSAge Tool: Guidelines for delivering telewellness programs to older adults with disabilities” provides step-by-step directions, drawn from TechSAge’s experience with a tai chi telewellness class and clinical trial.

Majd Alwan, CAST executive director, serves on the Advisory Board for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place for People with Long-Term Disabilities (RERC TechSAge), which developed this guide.

The “Tele Tai Chi” intervention adapted an in-person, evidence-based tai chi class for arthritis to an eight-week online, social experience that participants did together on Zoom in real time. The clinical trial tested whether the Tele Tai Chi program could increase social interaction and exercise frequency among older adults with long-term mobility disabilities, according to the guide.

The guide presents safety considerations, recognizing that telewellness programs do not have an instructor physically present to assist students. It covers the importance of choosing evidence-based programs and provides pointers on screening and/or requesting healthcare provider approval to ensure that participants can complete the class safely. The guide also helps you decide whether to offer a seated or standing class and recommends how class participants should set up their home environment, such as having a chair nearby for balance support, prior to class.

In the guide, you will find a range of practicalities, including training instructors, planning class design and logistics, providing participants with technical support, and getting feedback to improve future classes. It also helps you identify the video conferencing software that works best for your particular class, including a chart with features of four commercially available software programs.

Download the RERC TechSAge guide.