SUPPORT FOR FRAIL ELDERLY PERSONS - From Prevention to Palliation

NCT ID: NCT00877058

Last Updated: 2014-07-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 459 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2008-01-31
• Study Completion Date: 2011-05-31

Brief Summary

The present study "Elderly person in the risk zone" form part of the research programme "Support for frail elderly persons - from prevention to palliation" (www. Vardalinstitutet.net) which comprises research into three interventions. A fundamental principle in the research programme is that it comprises interventions addressing frail elderly person in different phases of the disablement process, from elderly persons who are beginning to develop frailty to very frail elderly persons receiving palliative care in the final period of their lives. The interventions also address the different requirements that arise with regard to professional contributions during the various phases of the ageing and disease process, ranging from health promotion to a need for an increasing degree of medical care, nursing, special care and rehabilitation, and finally, efforts that promote symptom relief, quality of life, security and satisfaction with care during the final period of life. The intervention "Elderly persons in the risk zone" addresses elderly persons that are on the point of developing frailty ("pre-frail") and are beginning to feel that they are being hindered from taking part in everyday activities. The hypothesis is that if an intervention is made when the persons are not so frail, it is possible to prevent/delay deterioration.

1. Can a health-promoting and preventive intervention for "prefrail" elderly persons:

• prevent frailty, activity limitations and morbidity,
• be a supportive factor in the social and physical environment,
• affect life satisfaction
• have an impact on the consumption of care
• be cost-effective?

2. How do the frail elderly persons experience the intervention and its importance to health?

Conditions

Frail Elderly Persons

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

1.Preventive home visit

Preventive home visits: This intervention included a single home visit made by either a nurse, a physiotherapist, a qualified social worker or an occupational therapist. Participants received verbal and written information/advice about what the districts could provide. The preventive home visit was guided by a protocol, which included an opportunity for individuals to further elaborate on certain elements. The visit lasted between one and a half to two hours.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

preventive home visit

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

2. Senior meetings

The senior meetings comprised four weekly meetings with about six participants in each group. The main purpose was to focus on two different topics: 1) information about the ageing process and its consequences and 2) provision of tools and strategies for solving problems that can arise in the home environment. A follow-up home visit took place two to three weeks after the group sessions were completed. The group meetings were led either by an occupational therapist, a registered nurse, a physiotherapist or a qualified social worker, all of whom spoke about their particular dimension of aging.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

senior meetings

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

3. Control group

The control group had access to the ordinary range of services if requested from the urban districts for the aged. The aim of the municipal provision of care for the older persons is to ensure the ability to live as independently as possible. This includes remaining in their homes. When an older person in Sweden has difficulties managing independently, she or he can apply for assistance from the district. The extent of such support is subject to an assessment of needs and includes meals on wheels, help with cleaning and shopping, assistance with personal care, safety alarms and transportation service. The older person are also offered healthcare, provided either by municipal home help or home medical care services.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

preventive home visit

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

senior meetings

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 80 years of age or older living in the community.
• The participants should live in their ordinary housing
• Independent on formal support
• Independent on informal support
• Cognitive intact defined as a Mini Mental Test score > 25

• Minimum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Vardalinstitutet The Swedish Institute for Health Sciences

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Synneve Dahlin Ivanoff

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Synneve Dahlin Ivanoff, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Göteborg University

Locations

Gothenburg University

Gothenburg, , Sweden

Countries

Sweden

References

Drahota A, Udell JE, Mackenzie H, Pugh MT. Psychological and educational interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024 Oct 3;10(10):CD013480. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD013480.pub2.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 39360568 (View on PubMed)

Dahlin-Ivanoff S, Eklund K, Wilhelmson K, Behm L, Haggblom-Kronlof G, Ziden L, Landahl S, Gustafsson S. For whom is a health-promoting intervention effective? Predictive factors for performing activities of daily living independently. BMC Geriatr. 2016 Oct 6;16(1):171. doi: 10.1186/s12877-016-0345-8.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 27716095 (View on PubMed)

Dahlin-Ivanoff S, Gosman-Hedstrom G, Edberg AK, Wilhelmson K, Eklund K, Duner A, Ziden L, Welmer AK, Landahl S. Elderly persons in the risk zone. Design of a multidimensional, health-promoting, randomised three-armed controlled trial for "prefrail" people of 80+ years living at home. BMC Geriatr. 2010 May 26;10:27. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-10-27.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 20504358 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

G213 194/08

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id