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Setting handicap goals with elderly people: a pilot study of the Life Strengths Interview
V M Pomeroy1, M C Conroy, P G Coleman
1Salisbury Health Care NHS Trust, UK.
Objective:
To assess whether the Life Strengths Interview (LSI) is a useful clinical framework to identify handicap goals.
Design:
Clinical case studies.
Settings:
Two elderly care rehabilitation hospitals.
Subjects:
Five people, whose ages ranged from 73 to 90 years. All participants were aware of their likely resultant disability, scored 25+ out of a possible 30 with the Mini-Mental State Examination, were able to communicate effectively and were due to be discharged home in approximately one month.
Interventions:
Each participant undertook the LSI process with the research occupational therapist.
Main Outcome Measures:
Identified rehabilitation goals and their achievement.
Results:
Goals were focused around families and other support networks. Six to eight weeks following discharge, achievement of goals varied.
Conclusions:
This pilot study suggests that the LSI may be a useful clinical framework but further research needs to investigate whether a modified clinical version may be more suitable.