Peer coach training
KOA
EVENT
The TKR educational materials for the The pre-and post-surgery exercise program was designed by a certified physical therapist (KWH), who has extensive experience in TKR rehabilitation. The exercise program will be delivered to participants through online videos recorded by certified doctors in physical therapy from Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM). The videos use people with KOA to demonstrate the exercises. The program focuses on strengthening hip, core, and thigh muscles as well as increasing the knee range of motion. The exercise program allows the participant to select an individualized goal (advanced exercises vs. elementary exercises) based on their self-perceived ability.During each telephone session, the participants will learn and practice positive thinking, which consists of 3 main steps: Peer coaches are not health professionals, they are individuals who have KOA and a history of TKR. Peer coaches will serve as role models and increase participants’ self-efficacy, which is one of the main tenets of the SCT. The role of the peer coach will be to provide support and coaching to each participant so that they successfully complete the activities and assignments of the intervention. The coaching and support by a person who already experienced the same event (had a TKR) will increase the likelihood of behavior change [The inclusion criteria for peer coaches will be, having KOA and history of TKR at least 12 months before enrollment, and being 60 years of age or older. Once a person who has had TKR meets the criteria to be a peer coach, they will be interviewed by the research team to assess their communication skills. The research team will review each candidate and will document the reasons for not including a candidate as a peer coach. Peer coaches will be considered research subjects and will be consented before starting peer coach training.Peer coach training is modeled on a previously published approach [Before each training session, peer coaches-in-training will need to review the learning materials on PALS, listen to recordings of mock sessions between a peer coach and a participant, review the Peer coach training will also include two Motivational Interviewing (MoI) skills training meetings with the research team and only two coaches at a time. Each MoI training meeting will include the following activities: 1) Practicing MoI skills using role-playing scripts where coaches will alternate their roles between coach and participant under the supervision of the research team. 2) Reinforcing skills with live feedback and encouragement, allowing peer coaches to critique each other’s skills and propose ways for improvement on techniques like “rolling with resistance”, “action planning”, and the use of the MoI-style open-ended questions, affirmations, reflective listening, and summaries (OARS).