Positive effects on life satisfaction following health-promoting interventions for frail older adults: a randomized controlled study

Life satisfaction among older adults is known to decrease over time and with deteriorated health. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the health-promoting intervention study Elderly Persons in the Risk Zone on life satisfaction. A randomized, three-armed, single-blind, and controlled trial with follow-ups at 3 months, 1 and 2 years. A total of 459 community-dwelling persons at risk of frailty, 80-years or older were included. The participants were independent of help from others in ADL and cognitively intact. The two interventions were i) four weekly multi-professional senior group meetings including a follow-up home visit or ii) one preventive home visit. Life satisfaction was measured with eight questions from LiSat-11. Analyses were made in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Life satisfaction decreased over time, with a lower decrease in the intervention groups than in the control group. The proportion of satisfied persons was significantly higher in the intervention group of senior group meetings compared to the control group for five of the eight life satisfaction variables at one year and for all variables at the two-year follow-up. For preventive home visits, there was a significant difference compared to the control group at the one-year follow-up for three of the life satisfaction variables, and at the two-year follow-up for seven variables. We can conclude that a health-promoting intervention can delay the decline in life satisfaction among older adults (aged 80 or older) who are at risk of becoming frail

Life satisfaction and frailty among older adults

Functional and physical impairment are factors believed to lead to declined life satisfaction among older adults. This study aimed to examine life satisfaction among older adults and the influence of frailty. Baseline data from two studies addressing frail older adults aged 80+ in Gothenburg, Sweden, (n=577) were used. Frailty was measured through eight indicators. Life satisfaction was measured with Fugl-Meyer’s instrument LiSat-11. Perceived life satisfaction was rather high within the studied population, with 66% being satisfied with life as a whole. Most life satisfaction items were significantly associated with frailty status, with non-frail participants being satisfied to a higher extent for all items with the exception of financial situation, sexual life and partnership relation. The factors significantly explaining life satisfaction were psychological health, partner relationship, leisure and ADL. This study shows that older adults’ satisfaction with life as a whole is almost as high as in younger age groups. Respondents with higher degree of frailty reported significantly lower degrees of life satisfaction, indicating a possibility to maintain life satisfaction by preventing or delaying the development of frailty

Elderly persons in the risk zone. Design of a multidimensional, health-promoting, randomised three-armed controlled trial for "prefrail" people of 80+ years living at home

Background The very old (80+) are often described as a "frail" group that is particularly exposed to diseases and functional disability. They are at great risk of losing the ability to manage their activities of daily living independently. A health-promoting intervention programme might prevent or delay dependence in activities of daily life and the development of functional decline. Studies have shown that those who benefit most from a health-promoting and disease-preventive programme are persons with no, or discrete, activity restrictions. The three-armed study "Elderly in the risk zone" is designed to evaluate if multi-dimensional and multi-professional educational senior meetings are more effective than preventive home visits, and if it is possible to prevent or delay deterioration if an intervention is made when the persons are not so frail. In this paper the study design, the intervention and the outcome measures as well as the baseline characteristics of the study participants are presented. Methods/Design The study is a randomised three-armed single-blind controlled trial with follow-ups 3 months, 1 and 2 years. The study group should comprise a representative sample of pre-frail 80-year old persons still living at home in two municipalities of Gothenburg. To allow for drop-outs, it was estimated that a total of about 450 persons would need to be included in the study. The participants should live in their ordinary housing and not be dependent on the municipal home help service or care. Further, they should be independent of help from another person in activities of daily living and be cognitively intact, having a score of 25 or higher as assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Discussion We believe that the design of the study, the randomisation procedure, outcome measurements and the study protocol meetings should ensure the quality of the study. Furthermore, the multi-dimensionality of the intervention, the involvement of both the professionals and the senior citizens in the planning of the intervention should have the potential to effectively target the heterogeneous needs of the elderly. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0087705

Design of a randomized controlled study of a multi-professional and multidimensional intervention targeting frail elderly people

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Frail elderly people need an integrated and coordinated care. The two-armed study "Continuum of care for frail elderly people" is a multi-professional and multidimensional intervention for frail community-dwelling elderly people. It was designed to evaluate whether the intervention programme for frail elderly people can reduce the number of visits to hospital, increase satisfaction with health and social care and maintain functional abilities. The implementation process is explored and analysed along with the intervention. In this paper we present the study design, the intervention and the outcome measures as well as the baseline characteristics of the study participants.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>The study is a randomised two-armed controlled trial with follow ups at 3, 6 and 12 months. The study group includes elderly people who sought care at the emergency ward and discharged to their own homes in the community. Inclusion criteria were 80 years and older <it>or </it>65 to 79 years with at least one chronic disease and dependent in at least one activity of daily living. Exclusion criteria were acute severely illness with an immediate need of the assessment and treatment by a physician, severe cognitive impairment and palliative care. The intention was that the study group should comprise a representative sample of frail elderly people at a high risk of future health care consumption. The intervention includes an early geriatric assessment, early family support, a case manager in the community with a multi-professional team and the involvement of the elderly people and their relatives in the planning process.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The design of the study, the randomisation procedure and the protocol meetings were intended to ensure the quality of the study. The implementation of the intervention programme is followed and analysed throughout the whole study, which enables us to generate knowledge on the process of implementing complex interventions. The intervention contributes to early recognition of both the elderly peoples' needs of information, care and rehabilitation and of informal caregivers' need of support and information. This study is expected to show positive effects on frail elderly peoples' health care consumption, functional abilities and satisfaction with health and social care.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01260493">NCT01260493</a></p

For whom is a health-promoting intervention effective? Predictive factors for performing activities of daily living independently

BACKGROUND: Health-promoting interventions tailored to support older persons to remain in their homes, so-called "ageing in place" is important for supporting or improving their health. The health-promoting programme "Elderly Persons in the Risk Zone," (EPRZ) was set up for this purpose and has shown positive results for maintaining independence in activities of daily living for older persons 80 years and above at 1- and 2 year follow-ups. The aim of this study was to explore factors for maintaining independence in the EPRZ health-promoting programme.METHODS: Total of 459 participants in the original trial was included in the analysis; 345 in the programme arm and 114 in the control arm. Thirteen variables, including demographic, health, and programme-specific indicators, were chosen as predictors for independence of activities of daily living. Logistic regression was performed separately for participants in the health promotion programme and in the control arm.RESULTS: In the programme arm, being younger, living alone and self-rated lack of tiredness in performing mobility activities predicted a positive effect of independence in activities of daily living at 1-year follow-up (odds ratio [OR] 1.18, 1.73, 3.02) and 2-year, (OR 1.13, 2.01, 2.02). In the control arm, being less frail was the only predictor at 1-year follow up (OR 1.6 1.09, 2.4); no variables predicted the outcome at the 2-year follow-up.CONCLUSIONS: Older persons living alone - as a risk of ill health - should be especially recognized and offered an opportunity to participate in health-promoting programmes such as "Elderly Persons in the Risk Zone". Further, screening for subjective frailty could form an advantageous guiding principle to target the right population when deciding to whom health-promoting intervention should be offered.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The original clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT00877058 , April 6, 2009

Longer life - better life? Studies on mortality, morbidity and quality of life among elderly people

Background: Life expectancy has been increasing, but whether or not the added years are years with good health and quality of life have been vividly debated. Knowledge of the health conditions among elderly is of increasing importance.Aim:- To analyse differences in mortality and morbidity in three cohorts of 70-year olds with special regard to the impact of social factors. - To compare health information from interviews and medical records. - To investigate what elderly people consider being important for their quality of life. - To determine predictors for suicide among the old elderly (75+).Methods: Paper I and II: Random samples of 70-year old people born in 1901/02 (n=973), 1906/07 (n=1036) and 1911/12 (n=619). They were examined and interviewed regarding social background, social network and health. Death records were obtained up to and including 1998. Paper III-V: 85 elderly suicide cases (65 years of age and above) and 153 randomly selected control persons were interviewed in persons or by proxy, and their medical records were reviewed.Results: The later born cohorts had lower mortality compared to the first-born cohort. Participants not living in an institution, non-smokers and those with one or more diseases were among those who had lower mortality in the later born cohorts. There were fewer 70-year olds not feeling healthy, fewer having many symptoms and there were indications of better physical functioning in the later born cohorts. Medical records gave better information concerning specific diseases, while interview data provided better measures of impairments. Elderly persons consider health, social relations, functional ability and activities to be important to the quality of life. Family discord, severe physical illness, loneliness and depression were risk factors for suicide in the old elderly. Conclusions: Good years seem to have been added - although we live longer with diseases. More good years can be gained with improvements in life style behavior and with continued improvements in health services and medical treatment. It is important to recognize and treat depressions among elderly people, especially in the context of severe illness and impairment

Vårdkedja: från akutmottagning till eget boende

The intervention “A continuum of care for frail elderly people” takes place in the municipality of Mölndal, Sweden, including municipal health and social care, the hospital of Mölndal, and primary care. The study has a descriptive analytical and experimental design. The intervention is performed as a randomised controlled trial. The participants were randomised to two study arms, one intervention group and one control group. Intervention group: The intervention includes an early geriatric assessment, early family support, a case manager in the community with a multi-professional team and the involvement of the elderly people and their relatives in the planning process. Control group: The control group received conventional care and follow up. The study group included 161 elderly people who sought care at the emergency department at Mölndal Hospital during the period October 2008 to June 2010 and who were discharged to their own homes in the municipality of Mölndal. Inclusion criteria were age 80 and older or 65 to 79 with at least one chronic disease and dependent in at least one activity of daily living. A baseline interview and assessment were done within a week of discharge. In some cases it was not possible to do the baseline interview so soon, mostly because the frail elderly person not having enough strength. Follow up data were collected at 3, 6 and 12 months, and after 2 years following the baseline measurement. Purpose: The overall aim of the study was to implement the intervention and thereby create a continuum of care for frail elderly people, from the emergency ward to their own homes, resulting in a better quality of care and higher cost-effectiveness. Another aim was to study the implementation process of the intervention programme. The dataset includes the participants in the intervention group and the control group, a total of 161 participants. The baseline intervention was carried out between October 2008 and June 2010, and follow ups at 3, 6 and 12 months.Interventionen ”Vårdkedja: från akutmottagning till eget boende" bedrivs inom Mölndals kommun, och inkluderar den kommunala vård- och omsorgen, sjukhus, samt primärvård. Studien hade en deskriptiv, analytisk och experimentell design. Interventionen genomfördes som en randomiserad kontrollerad studie där deltagarna randomiserades till interventions- eller kontrollgrupp. Interventionsgrupp: Interventionen omfattade en tidig geriatrisk bedömning, tidigt familjestöd, en kontaktsköterska med ett multiprofessionellt team och medverkan av den äldre och de anhöriga vid planeringsprocessen. Kontrollgrupp: Kontrollgruppen fick traditionell vård och uppföljning. Studiegruppen inkluderade 161 äldre personer som sökte vård på akutmottagningen på Mölndals sjukhus under perioden oktober 2008 till juni 2010 och som skrevs ut till sina egna hem i Mölndals kommun. En baslinjeintervju och bedömning gjordes inom en vecka efter utskrivningen. I vissa fall var det inte möjligt att göra baslinjeintervjun så snart, främst för att den sårbara äldre personen inte hade tillräckligt med styrka. Uppföljande datainsamling skedde vid 3, 6 och 12 månader, samt 2 år efter baslinjemätningen. Syfte: Projektet syftar till att skapa en sammanhållen vårdkedja för äldre sårbara personer, från akutmottagning ut i det egna hemmet, och därmed ett bättre omhändertagande med ökad vårdkvalitet för den enskilde och ökad kostnadseffektivitet för samhället. Datasetet innefattar deltagarna i interventionsgruppen och kontrollgruppen, totalt 161 personer. Interventionens baslinjemätning genomfördes mellan oktober 2008 och juni 2010 och därefter skedde uppföljning vid 3, 6 och 12 månader

Outcomes of coordinated and integrated interventions targeting frail elderly people: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials

The aim of this study was to review randomised controlled trials on integrated and coordinated interventions targeting frail elderly people living in the community, their outcome measurements and their effects on the client, the caregiver and healthcare utilisation. A literature search of PubMed, AgeLine, Cinahl and AMED was carried out with the following inclusion criteria: original article; integrated intervention including case management or equivalent coordinated organisation; frail elderly people living in the community; randomised controlled trials; in the English language, and published in refereed journals between 1997 and July 2007. The final review included nine articles, each describing one original integrated intervention study. Of these, one was from Italy, three from the USA and five from Canada. Seven studies reported at least one outcome measurement significantly in favour of the intervention, one reported no difference and one was in favour of the control. Five of the studies reported at least one outcome on client level in favour of the intervention. Only two studies reported caregiver outcomes, both in favour of the intervention for caregiver satisfaction, but with no effect on caregiver burden. Outcomes focusing on healthcare utilisation were significantly in favour of the intervention in five of the studies. Five of the studies used outcome measurements with unclear psychometric properties and four used disease-specific measurements. This review provides some evidence that integrated and coordinated care is beneficial for the population of frail elderly people and reduces health care utilisation. There is a lack of knowledge about how integrated and coordinated care affects the caregiver. This review pinpoints the importance of using valid outcome measurements and describing both the content and implementation of the intervention