Symposium 3
Implementing reablement in home care – what are we talking about?
Conveners:
Silke F. Metzelthin, Assistent Professor, Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University and Tine Rostgaard, Professor, VIVE – The Danish Centre for Social Science Research
Discussant:
Tine Rostgaard, Professor, VIVE – The Danish Centre for Social Science Research, Denmark
Living in the community, rather than in residential care, is the expressed preference of the majority of older adults. In addition, policy makers prioritise an ageing‐in‐place policy over more expensive institutionalisation to balance their budget limits. However, to support ageing-in-place innovative home care approaches are needed to assist older adults to stay in their homes as long as possible.
Reablement is an innovation care approach that has been rapidly adopted in many countries such as the US, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Reablement aims to support frail older adults to maintain, gain or restore their competences so that they can manage their lives as independently as possible. However, there is great variation between and even within countries regarding the conceptual understanding of reablement, which hinders evidence-based policymaking and the pragmatic identification of ‘what works’ in care. Therefore, an international Delphi study was conducted with the aims 1) to reach agreement on the key components, characteristics and aims of reablement; and subsequently (2) to develop an internationally accepted definition of reablement.
After Silke Metzelthin has presented the results of the Delphi study, researchers from four different countries (the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia and Denmark) will talk about reablement in each their country. The first presentation by Teuni H. Rooijackers will be about the findings of a process evaluation that is conducted alongside a randomised controlled trial investigating the feasibility of a Dutch reablement programme. Matthew Parsons from New Zealand will discuss the findings from four randomised controlled trials of reablement undertaken in New Zealand and highlighting the key learnings. The third presentation by Elissa Burton from Australia will be about utilising physical activity programs within reablement to improve physical function. Tine Rostgaard researcher will present the Danish reablement model including the results from a recent evaluation of the outcomes in community-dwelling frail older adults.
Panel authors:
1. Silke Metzelthin, Assistent Professor, Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
2. Teuni H. Rooijackers PhD., Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, the Netherlands
3. Prof. dr. Matthew Parsons, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
4. Elissa Burton, Doctor of School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Australia
5. Prof. dr. Tine Rostgaard, VIVE Danish Centre of Applied Social Science, Denmark