# Transforming Health by Reversing Inactivity among older Veterans Everywhere! (THRIVE!)

> **NIH VA I01** · DURHAM VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Project Goals. The specific aims of this application are to establish the efficacy of novel
telehealth-assisted exercise delivery models and plan for a state-of-the-art Phase II
telehealth effectiveness trial. Long-term aim of Phase II. The long-term goal of our work is to
transform the delivery of exercise-related health care for older Veterans anywhere and
everywhere “Transforming Health by Reversing Inactivity among older Veterans Everywhere!
(THRIVE!)”. We have a strong evidence base for our facility-based programs now in place at 15
sites across the VHA, and are in the early phase of developing new models of exercise delivery
using telehealth. The results of this Phase I THRIVE! planning grant will accelerate the next
phase of research by determining the effectiveness of telehealth-delivered exercise. Our facility-
based program is already a VHA Best Practice designated as an effective alternative to
institutional long-term care. The results of the planned Phase II trial, will contribute to a fully
validated toolbox of exercise delivery options suitable for scaling up to meet the growing needs
of the aging Veteran population anywhere and everywhere. Innovation. We will utilize an
innovative screening algorithm that uses electronic diagnostic codes to identify Veterans eligible
for safe home-based exercise. Our ability to reach Veterans anywhere in the country will allow
us to test innovative models of exercise delivery deploying the new VHA platform for home-
based care, Virtual Care Manager (VCM). With VCM we will pilot various methods of exercise
delivery; once-a-week exercise supplemented by website-guided exercise or text messaging,
remote exercise directly into the gym, and tailoring program offerings to Veteran preferences.
We will assess patient safety, types of exercise feasible from the home, frequency of sessions,
staffing load, ease of use, and adaptations of exercise for frail Veterans. Impact. Gerofit
program participation results in robust outcomes indicating reduced risk for institutionalization.
Four years after program enrollment, our Veterans demonstrate a sustained reversal of a once
declining functional trajectory. We also documented significantly improved mental health,
reduced prescribed medication use, a favorable cost to benefit ratio relative to Veterans
Equitable Resource Allocation allocations along with compelling personal transformative stories.
The ability to scale Gerofit-facilitated exercise throughout the country using tele-health has high
potential to transform the care of aging, mobility impaired Veterans due to its evidence of cost
savings and high quality of life impact. Phase I accomplishments. (1) To pilot a tele-health
delivered exercise program to the home using the newest VA telehealth platform, VCM. (2) To
assess the feasibility and success of VCM for group-based delivery as a “Go/ No Go” criterion
for advancement to a Phase II trial. (3) To convene and engage a diverse Veteran Stakeholder
group to ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10065252
- **Project number:** 1I01HX003194-01
- **Recipient organization:** DURHAM VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** MIRIAM C. MOREY
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-10-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10065252

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10065252, Transforming Health by Reversing Inactivity among older Veterans Everywhere! (THRIVE!) (1I01HX003194-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10065252. Licensed CC0.

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