Using comprehensive geriatric assessment for older adults undertaking a facility-based transition care program to...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Transition care settings are crucial for older adults' recovery and functional independence.
• Measuring functional outcomes in this population requires comprehensive and validated tools.
• Current assessment methods may not fully capture the multifaceted needs of older adults in transition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of implementing Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) in a residential transition care setting.
• To assess the utility of CGA in measuring functional outcomes across physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains for older adults.
• To determine the acceptability and suitability of CGA tools among older adults and healthcare staff in transition care.

Main Methods:

• A convenience sample of 10 older adults and 4 staff members participated.
• Feasibility of CGA tools was evaluated pre- and post-rehabilitation.
• Assessments covered physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains; completion time and participant comprehension were recorded.

Main Results:

• CGA was completed within an average of 55.9 minutes and found acceptable by staff.
• Older adults perceived the process as timely, with 60% finding assessments easy to comprehend.
• Significant improvements were observed in functional mobility (p=0.01) and quality of life (p<0.01).

Conclusions:

• Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is a feasible and effective method for evaluating older adults in transition care.
• The suite of assessment tools enabled a holistic evaluation of functional outcomes.
• CGA facilitates older adults' understanding of their health status and supports improved functional trajectories.