Assistant nurses' reflections on ASSIST 1.0: Theory-inspired support in reablement.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Occupational Therapy
• Healthcare Interventions

Background:

• Reablement is a person-centred intervention for older adults.
• It involves multi-professional teams, including assistant nurses.
• Reablement programs often lack a strong theoretical foundation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore assistant nurses' experiences and reflections.
• Focus on work processes and collaboration with occupational therapists.
• Investigate within the ASSIST 1.0 reablement program.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study design.
• Nine semi-structured interviews with three assistant nurses over one year.
• Reflexive thematic analysis of interview data.

Main Results:

• One main theme: Supported learning and reflection enhance reablement understanding.
• Subthemes include gaining perspectives from occupational therapists, recognizing person-centred goal-setting, and learning through examples.
• Assistant nurses made sense of their experiences within the program.

Conclusions:

• Engagement with ASSIST 1.0 led to internalization of reablement concepts.
• Staff shifted towards person-centred, occupation-focused, and goal-oriented approaches.
• Theory-informed programs embedded in practice improve staff understanding and application of reablement principles.