Supporting older people with chronic conditions to maintain their autonomy, quality of life, and participation : development of an interprofessional intervention

Background: Most older people in Europe live in private homes and would like to remain there as long as possible. The majority live with chronic conditions (e.g., arthritis, diabetes) and associated activity limitations/ participation restrictions. Aim: Our aim was to develop and evaluate the feasibility of an interprofessional intervention to support autonomy, quality of life and participation of older people with chronic conditions living at home. Method: We conducted two focus groups with older people living at home with chronic conditions (Ballmer & Gantschnig, 2023) and stakeholders involved in their care to examine their needs and experiences with activity limitations/ participation restrictions. We then developed an interprofessional intervention that we pilot-tested with five clients and evaluated with qualitative and quantitative methods. Results: The focus of older people was maintaining autonomy. The intervention allowed practitioners to discover client needs that had not been addressed by their usual care. Its feasibility was established, although evaluation was impeded by Covid-19-restrictions. Clients’ experience was mostly positive. Conclusions: The intervention improved clients’ care by discovering and addressing formerly unmet needs. It has been taken up by the cooperating organisations.