Feasibility of Increasing Social Participation for Older Adults with Disabilities

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aimed to adapt the personalized citizen assistance for social participation (APIC; French acronym for Accompagnement-citoyen personnalisé d’intégration communautaire) approach for older adults with disabilities and explore its feasibility. A qualitative clinical research design, including interviews, was used with 19 older adults with disabilities. They met with their nonprofessional attendant (citizen supervised by the research team) about 20 times and 16 of them completed the APIC. Personal facilitators and barriers to physical, intellectual, manual, artistic and social interaction experiences were related to health and sensory, motor or behavioral capabilities, including psychological and emotional availability. Results also highlighted environmental facilitators (e.g., paratransit, social support) and barriers (e.g. inaccessibility, weather, over-protective family). The APIC represents new opportunities for older adults to achieve community integration and enhance their social life and resources, while confirming the feasibility of addressing the global “aging well” priority.