Early intervention in elderly clients' health problems identified by home helps

Authors

  • Anette Hylen Ranhoff

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5324/nje.v8i2.456

Abstract

 

A

BSTRACT

Objective:

 

 

Design:

 

 

Setting:

 

 

Subjects:

 

 

Intervention:

 

 

Main outcome measures:

 

 

Results:

 

 

Conclusions:

 

 

Key words:

 

 

Home help; elderly; case-finding; general loss of function; long-term care; randomized

controlled trial

Home helps can detect and communicate to a doctor functional decline and clinical

manifestations of disease among their elderly clients. The study indicated, but provided no definite

evidence, that direct referral from home helps to a hospital-based general practitioner can keep elderly

people at home longer.

51 (45.1%) of the intervention subjects were referred once or more often, 110 referrals in all.

General loss of function was the most frequent cause, and in all but six referrals specific diagnoses

were made. Home helps' referrals of patients with infection and stroke corresponded with the final

diagnoses. After the first year of the study, the percentage of clients continuing to live at home was

higher in the intervention group (P = 0.05 after adjustment for baseline differences in age and gender),

mortality was similar, and use of hospital beds higher in the intervention group.

Causes of referral, ICD-9 diagnostic categories, time under surveillance

before long-term care or death, use of community services and hospital beds.

Home helps were trained to recognize signs of functional and mental impairment and

asked to call the study doctor when new medical or functional problems were identified. The intervention

lasted for two years with an additional year for observation.

Home help clients, 75 years or older, 113 in the intervention group and 161 in the comparison

group.

Community health services and a hospital-based general practice.Open study with quasi-experimental design. Randomization took place at the level of the

organizational units of home helps.

To study the effect of early intervention in health problems identified by home helps.

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Published

2009-10-30

How to Cite

Ranhoff, A. H. (2009). Early intervention in elderly clients’ health problems identified by home helps. Norsk Epidemiologi, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.5324/nje.v8i2.456

Issue

Vol. 8 No. 2 (1998): The epidemiology of ageing

Section

Articles

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