Background
Sicknesses among the elderly often have uncharacteristic symptoms, recognizable a declining ability to carry out basic daily activities (loss of basic functions). If the loss occurs rapidly (from a few hours to a few days), it is often due to an acute condition which should require admission to a healthcare institution. However, if the loss of functions occurs more gradually (from a few days to a few weeks – sub-acute loss of functions), then the underlying cause can often be identified and treated without admission to the hospital, providing that appropriate measures are taken promptly.
For the stay-at-home elderly who have subscribed to homecare services, the homecare nurse should be the person most capable of identifying a sub-acute loss of functions. However, many studies show that losses of functions among the elderly are often responded with increased personal-care resources and not with adequate diagnostic efforts.
Therefore, the key elements of the planned intervention should comprise:
1. Training of personal attendants and homecare nurses to identify sub-acute loss of functions.
2. A dedicated system among family doctors to respond quickly and start appropriate assessment, diagnoses and rehabilitation.
3. Timely offer of rehabilitation services (physiotherapy, ergotherapy, etc.) either in the community or at the hospital, depending on the situation.
4. Support in all areas of the process from the hospital, if necessary.
One phD student, Gro Næss, is employed to work on this project.
Funding
• Norwegian research council through CHARM
• Oslo university hospitals
Cooperation
• Department of Nursing sciences, Institute of health and society, University of Oslo
• Department of Geriatric medicine, Oslo university hospitals
• Department of General medicine, Institute of health and society, University of Oslo
• Oslo municipality, Norway
PhD student
A PhD student, Gro Naess, is working on this project.
Results
- Promoting psychosocial wellbeing following stroke using narratives and guided self-determination: a feasibility study, BMC Psychology, Kirkevold M, Martinsen R, Bronken Arnesveen B, Kvigne K.
- Structured follow-up of frail home-dwelling older people in primary health care: is there a special need, and could a checklist be of any benefit? A qualitative study of experiences from registered nurses and their leaders. J Multidiscip Healthc
. 2019 Aug 21;12:675-690. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S212283. eCollection 2019. Gro Næss G, Wyller TB, Kirkevold M.
Start - End
2012 -