Hostname: page-component-6766d58669-bp2c4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-20T11:05:39.876Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Health team for the elderly: a feasibility study for preventive home visits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 February 2017

Berit Seiger Cronfalk*
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing Sciences, Ersta Sköndal Bräcke University College, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Nursing, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Haugesund, Norway Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Astrid Fjell
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Haugesund, Norway Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Nina Carstens
Affiliation:
Pharmaceutical Services Advisor, Hospital Pharmacies Enterprise, Haugesund, Norway
Lars Malvin Kvinge Rosseland
Affiliation:
FOUSAM, Stord Haugesund University College, Haugesund, Norway
Arvid Rongve
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Haugesund Hospital, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Dag-Helge Rönnevik
Affiliation:
Department of Integrated Health Care, Helse Fonna Haugesund Hospital, Haugesund, Norway
Åke Seiger
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Knut Skaug
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Helse Fonna Haugesund Hospital, Haugesund, Norway
Karen Johanne Ugland Vae
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Marianne Hauge Wennersberg
Affiliation:
FOUSAM, Stord Haugesund University College, Haugesund, Norway
Anne-Marie Boström
Affiliation:
Department of Nursing, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Haugesund, Norway Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Geriatric Medicine, Danderyd, Sweden
*
Correspondence to: Berit Seiger Cronfalk, Ersta Sköndal University College, Stigbergsgatan 30, PO11189, 10061 Stockholm, Sweden. Email: berit.seiger-cronfalk@esh.se
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The aim was to describe the development, utilization and feasibility of a model of preventive home visits, in an urban and a rural municipality in Norway.

Background

Older people >65 years will rise significantly in coming years. Increased age is associated with risk of disability, illness and need for public health services. Preventive home visits is assumed to help older people to maintain their functional level longer, delaying disease and thus delaying the need for health care.

Method

Descriptive explorative design describing the development, utilization and feasibility of preventive home visits in two different settings. All 77-year-old persons living at home in an urban municipality and all 75 years and older in a rural municipality were invited to participate. A questionnaire including a substantial number of tests concerning; fall, nutrition, polypharmacy and cognitive impairment was used by Health Team Nurses as base for a risk assessment. Pilot studies were conducted to validate the questionnaire including an inter-rater reliability study of the risk assessment tool. A multiprofessional team, Health Team for the Elderly met each week to evaluate risk assessments and make recommendations to be sent to each respective general practitioner. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. In total, 167 persons (109 from the urban municipality and 58 from the rural municipality) participated, corresponding to 60% of the approached individuals. The mean time for the visits was 108 minutes (SD 20). Missing data were identified for; Do you feel safe in your municipality (17.5%) and Are you looking forward to ageing (11.4%). In total, 36 persons (21.7%) were identified with increased risk for developing illness. We suggest that a structured model of preventive home visits and collaboration between highly specialized health care professionals are important factors for reliable health promoting risk assessments of elderly home dwellers.

Information

Type
Research
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2017 
Figure 0

Figure 1 Project organization. H=hospital, U=university college, M=municipality, HTN=health team nurse

Figure 1

Figure 2 Assessment tools and examples of questions. The following validated instruments were included: Perceived health Short Form-36 (SF-36, Sullivan et al., 1995), PLOS (Deaton and Paxson, 1998), Barthel ADL Index and questions concerning the older persons activity in daily life (Hartigan, 2007), Risk of falling Bergs Balance Score (BBS) (Berg et al., 1992), nutritional status Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) (Kaiser et al., 2009), level of pain (visual analouge scale - VAS) (Revill et al., 1976) and cognitive decline or impairment, Mini-Cog (Borson et al., 2000); OSLO 3-Social Support Scale (OSLO 3-SSS) (Meltzer, 2003).

Figure 2

Table 1 Description of reasons for participating in study

Figure 3

Table 2 Inter-rater reliability analysis of the risk assessment score (total score and subscales)

Figure 4

Table 3 Risk assessment score (total score and categorized in risk levels) for the total sample and samples from the two municipalities