Inskip, Michael, Wielandt, Rebecca, Fiatarone Singh, Maria, Dawes, Nathan, Njoku, Chidiamara Maria, Almendrales Rangel, Carolina, O'Neill, Leonie, Lloyd, Natalie, Doma, Kenji, Valenzuela, Trinidad, and Leicht, Anthony (2026) National readiness for best-practice frailty care including robust exercise and accredited exercise physiologists in residential aged care homes. Journal of Clinical Exercise Physiology, 15 (s2). p. 198.

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Abstract

INTRODUCTION & AIM: Frailty contributes significantly to disease burden and care requirements in residential aged care homes (RACHs). Exercise is a cornerstone of best-practice frailty management; however, it is not clear to what extent Accredited Exercise Physiologists (AEPs) are working within RACHs and whether organisational leadership is positioned to support best practice frailty care. This study aimed to examine national RACH readiness to deliver best-practice frailty care including robust exercise through exploring AEP utilisation, awareness, barriers, and infrastructure.

METHODS: A national, cross-sectional survey of RACHs was conducted, targeting RACH organisational leadership. Descriptive analysis was undertaken for workforce composition, while service delivery models, role perceptions and barriers responses were analysed thematically.

RESULTS: 104 RACHs responded (~5%), representing state/territory and rurality proportionally. Only 34.6% of RACHs employed AEPs, compared with dieticians, pharmacist, physiotherapists, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists (44%-98%). AEPs were commonly engaged as 0.2-1.0 full-time equivalents/week providinggroup and individual exercise, assessment and education. Facilities employing AEPs demonstrated greater frailty readiness, embedding proactive, preventative exercise within multidisciplinary care. In contrast, non-AEP staffed facilities showed limited role clarity, often defaulting to maintenance-focused physiotherapy models. Key barriers to AEP integration included funding constraints, workforce availability, particularly in rural settings, and uncertainty regarding service integration. Concerningly, 14% of RACHs reported no available exercise spaces, with only 12% having sufficient gym infrastructure to deliver evidence-based exercise. Furthermore, 34% and 45% of RACHs indicated no specific frailty policy/procedure or staff training, respectively.

CONCLUSION: A significant portion of RACHs nationally have suboptimal exercise infrastructure, policy and AEP workforce to implement best-practice frailty care including exercise, with AEP utilisation significantly lower than other allied health professions. Marked differences exist in frailty readiness between facilities that do and do not employ AEPs. Greater advocacy, workforce development and infrastructure investment are required to support broader AEP integration into the sector.

Item ID:	92309
Item Type:	Article (Abstract)
ISSN:	2165-7629
Keywords:	Frailty,Exercise,Aged care,exercise physiology
Related URLs:	https://jcep.kglmeridian.com/view/journa...
Copyright Information:	© 2026 Clinical Exercise Physiology Association
Date Deposited:	09 Jun 2026 06:09
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