Abstract
BackgroundTo promote healthy aging, the social participation needs of older adults must be better met. Previous studies have shown the benefits of the Personalized citizen assistance for social participation (APIC), but few explored its influence on attendants. This study explored the assistance experience of attendants in providing the APIC to older adults with disabilities.MethodsA qualitative design inspired by a phenomenological approach was used with six female attendants who participated in individual interviews.ResultsThe APIC attendants felt useful, developed meaningful relationships with their older adults, and improved their self-knowledge. Attendants had the opportunity to reflect on their lives and self-aging. They contributed to older adults’ functional independence, motivation, and participation in social activities. Attendants encountered challenges related to withdrawn behavior in older adults, such as refusing to participate in activities.ConclusionsConsidering the identified benefits of the APIC for attendants, further studies should explore personalized assistance to preserve older adults’ health.
Highlights
To promote healthy aging, the social participation needs of older adults must be better met
A rather innovative one is the Personalized citizen assistance for social participation (APIC; in French: Accompagnement-citoyen personnalisé d’intégration communautaire), which has recently been adapted for older adults with disabilities [17]
The personalized citizen assistance for social participation (APIC) The APIC is a program comprised of weekly meetings of 3 h, conducted over a period of 6 to 18 months by trained attendants
Summary
The social participation needs of older adults must be better met. The personalized citizen assistance for social participation (APIC) The APIC is a program comprised of weekly meetings of 3 h, conducted over a period of 6 to 18 months by trained attendants During these meetings, the attendants encourage older adults to identify important but challenging social activities to accomplish in their community. As adults with TBI and older adults with disabilities are similar in terms of the personal or social restrictions limiting their social participation and their need for personalized assistance to carry out activities [19], the APIC was adapted . Results from this adaptation have shown that the older adults increased their functional independence, their sense of accomplishment, their satisfaction with social participation, and the frequency of their leisure activities after the APIC. The personalized assistance in the APIC demonstrated an important role in guiding and supporting older adults through their projects to improve their independence and their satisfaction with their personal choices [20], little is known about personalized assistance and its benefits
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
