[Preventive activities for the elderly--what happens after screening?]

Preventive geriatric health care has become a regular part of geriatric health service in some of Norway's municipalities. There are many reports concerning the findings from screenings, but there is little material about the target group's experience with the subsequent intervention. This article describes the results from interviews with the elderly in three municipalities, concerning the perceived value of participating in geriatric screening. A random sample comprising 60 persons with a registered need of intervention was interviewed. Of the registered needs, intervention was implemented in 69 percent of the cases. In 65 percent of the cases the elderly person was satisfied with the intervention, five percent were dissatisfied and for 30 percent, the registration of a need for intervention had no practical significance. In 26 percent of the cases of registered need, the elderly person planned to seek assistance from the health/assistance services on his/her own. The most important reasons why intervention was not implemented were: the lack of a service to intervene in cases of loneliness and/or social isolation, and the lack of motivation on the part of the elderly to seek dental treatment.