A Student‐Led Telehealth Group Falls Prevention Exercise Program for Older Adults in a Rural Community: A Pilot Study

Objective This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a student‐led group falls prevention exercise program delivered to a fixed hub via telehealth to older adults in a remote community. Design A convergent parallel mixed‐methods design involving pre‐ and post‐participation outcome measures, semi‐structured focus groups and interviews explored the experiences and perspectives of participants completing the program and health professional students conducting the sessions. Setting Telehealth delivery to a very remote town (Modified Monash Model 7) in southwestern Queensland from a regional city in southeast Queensland. Participants Over 2022 and 2023, 17 community participants completed the program. Seven final year students, six studying exercise physiology and one studying physiotherapy, completed a clinical placement in a regional health and wellness clinic and implemented the telehealth program during their placement. Results Community participants demonstrated significant improvements in mobility and function following program participation, with higher BOOMER scores ( M = 13.12, 95% CI 11.94–14.29) and faster 10‐m walk times ( M = 8.56 s, 95% CI 7.31–9.81) compared to baseline ( M = 10.94, 95% CI 9.04–12.84; and M = 10.31 s, 95% CI 8.32–12.31, respectively). Clinically meaningful gains on the 10‐m walk test were achieved by 64.7% of participants. Beyond physical outcomes, the program fostered valuable social connections. Health professional students reported increased awareness of effective telehealth strategies and growth in clinical skills as additional benefits. Conclusions Telehealth delivery of a group‐based exercise program to a fixed hub appears to be a feasible and well‐accepted model of rural health service delivery for both older adults and health students. Wider implementation of this approach to a broader range of health services could improve access to high‐value care for rural and remote communities.