A Pilot of a Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurse Preventive Intervention

Abstract

Background Persons with an intellectual and developmental disability frequently face barriers in accessing preventive services in community‐based health care systems. As they age into middle years, they are at increased risk for functional decline. This paper presents a description of an advanced practice nurse (APN) intervention used in a pilot study that explored the feasibility of using an in‐home preventive model based on a comprehensive geriatric assessment with persons ageing with an intellectual and developmental disability.Method The APN intervention was fully provided to a sub‐sample (n = 70) of 201 participants with an intellectual and developmental disability enrolled in a programme called ‘Stay Well and Healthy!’ The APN intervention included an initial home visit for a comprehensive geriatric assessment with follow‐up home visits to review health status and assess adherence with recommendations and provide education and support to promote health and prevent functional decline.Results Advanced practice nurses identified a number of active health‐related problems for persons ageing with an intellectual and developmental disability (mean 5.2; range 1–14) that had potential effects on function and survival. The majority of recommendations (mean 14.4; range 6–35) were for clinical preventive services (42.2%) and self‐care for health‐related issues (36.8%).Conclusions This study showed that there were problems consistent with persons ageing with an intellectual and developmental disability and older adults without disability. The in‐home preventive APN intervention to promote healthy ageing and reduce health disparities in this population is feasible, needed, and warrants further study.