Stories and Research

Study Aim:
To understand the health benefits of the classic TIME™ program as perceived by TIME™ participants and their families.

What We Did:
We interviewed 13 people (median age: 53 years, 75% women) who had completed the classic TIME™ program one or more times and 12 family members. Of the 13 TIME™ participants, nine had experienced a stroke and four were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

What We Found:
Participants described improvements in their balance, core and leg strength, walking, and confidence, and a decreased need for walking aids. These improvements made it easier to perform self-care activities (ie. dressing, bathing), household activities (ie. vacuuming), and social and leisure activities with less assistance from family members. Participants highlighted the valuable social support gained from exercising with a group of people. Family members expressed feeling "positive," "optimistic," "happy," or "more relaxed" as they saw their family members take part in the TIME™ program.

Key Messages:
The TIME™ program can benefit not only the participant but also the family. The group nature of the program enables social support.

Merali S, Cameron JI, Barclay R, Salbach NM. Experiences of people with stroke and multiple sclerosis and caregivers of a community exercise programme involving a healthcare-recreation partnership. Disability & Rehabilitation. 2020;42(9):1220-1226. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1519042.

Study Aim:
To understand the role of the healthcare partnership in the classic TIME™ program as perceived by TIME™ fitness coordinators and fitness instructors.

What We Did:
We interviewed 16 people including eight fitness program coordinators and eight fitness instructors involved with the TIME™ program at 14 community centres in Ontario and British Columbia.

What We Found:
Fitness instructors and fitness coordinators perceived the healthcare-recreation partnership to optimize exercise program quality and safety through multiple strategies. Strategies included:

1. Exercise protocols with multiple difficulty levels to enable tailoring, and strategies to maintain safety;
2. Fitness instructor training including review of impairments associated with chronic health conditions, exercise modifications for these impairments and a chance to practice exercises;
3. Opportunites to communicate with other sites;
4. Program visits and support from a local healthcare professional (called the "healthcare partner");
5. Ongoing education sessions to review program updates.

Key Messages:
The health care partnership supports the safety and quality of the classic TIME™ program.

Skrastins O, Tsotsos S, Aqeel H, Qiang A, Renton J, Howe J, Tee A, Moller J, Salbach NM. Fitness coordinators' and fitness instructors' perspectives on implementing a task-oriented community exercise program within a healthcare-recreation partnership for people with balance and mobility limitations: a qualitative study. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2020;42(19):2687-2695. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1570357.

Study Aim: To understand the conditions and strategies that promote the sustainability of the classic TIME™ program.

What We Did: We interviewed 29 people, including program providers, exercise participants and caregivers, from 8 community centres in Ontario and British Columbia that had either been running the classic TIME™ program for at least four years or had discontinued the program.

What We Found: Sites able to continue running the TIME™ program were characterized by conditions such as the need for the program in the community, the presence of secure funding or cost recovery mechanisms, the presence of community partners, the availability of experienced and motivated instructors and the capacity to allocate resources towards program marketing and participant recruitment.

Key Messages: To promote the sustainability of the TIME™ program, community organizations should ensure there is a need for the TIME™ program in their community and verify the organization's capacity and commitment to address the financial and resource requirements of the TIME™ program.

Aravind G, Graham ID, Cameron JI, Ploughman M, Salbach NM. Conditions and strategies influencing sustainability of a community-based exercise program incorporating a healthcare-community partnership for people with balance and mobility limitations in Canada: A collective case study of the Together in Movement and Exercise (TIME™) program. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences. 4:2023. Available from: https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2023.1064266.