Effects Of Increasing The Involvement Of Community-Dwelling Frail Older Adults In A Proactive Assessment Service: A...

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Older adults and care professionals seek integrated, proactive care.
• Proactive outpatient assessment services offer comprehensive geriatric assessments for preventive care.
• The effectiveness of these services is inconsistent, with potential benefits from increased older adult involvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an adapted geriatric assessment service (Sage-atAge+) on the well-being of community-dwelling frail older adults.
• To determine if increased participant involvement, through goal setting and motivational interviewing, enhances the effectiveness of geriatric assessments.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study of two assessment services: Sage-atAge and an adapted version, Sage-atAge+, for adults aged 65+.
• Sage-atAge+ incorporated individual goal setting and motivational interviewing, culminating in a shared 'goal card'.
• Well-being was measured using a composite endpoint (health, psychological, quality of life, social components); regression analysis compared service effects.

Main Results:

• 453 older adults (mean age 77, 62% women) were analyzed.
• No significant difference in well-being change was observed between Sage-atAge+ and Sage-atAge services.
• Participant involvement strategies in Sage-atAge+ did not yield additional improvements in well-being scores.

Conclusions:

• Attempts to boost older adult involvement via motivational interviewing and goal setting did not enhance well-being outcomes.
• Further investigation is required to clarify the link between participant involvement and well-being in older adults.
• Developing effective person-centered care for older adults necessitates further research into optimizing engagement strategies.