Preventive home visits and health – experiences among very old people

Synneve Dahlin Ivanoff,Lina Behm,Lena Zidén

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-378

Synneve Dahlin Ivanoff, Lina Behm + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-378

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Abstract

BackgroundAs more people reach older age, there is a growing interest in improving old person’s health, activity, independence and social participation, thereby adding quality to the extended years. Preventive home visits (PHV) programs for old people have received much attention in recent decades. A large body of research shows mixed effects, and argues that a home visit is a complex social process influenced by numerous factors. To evaluate the impact of PHV, as well as making decisions on whether, how, and to whom the service should be provided, requires a deeper understanding of PHV than we have now. Consequently, the aim of the study was to describe the variations in older people’s (80+) experiences of a single preventive home visit and its consequences for health.MethodsSeventeen participants between 80 and 92 years of age who had all received a structured PHV were interviewed in their own homes. The interviews were analyzed using the phenomenographic method, looking at the variations in the participants’ experiences.ResultsThe interviews revealed four categories: “The PHV made me visible and proved my human value”; “The PHV brought a feeling of security”; “The PHV gave an incentive to action”; and “The PHV was not for me”.ConclusionsThe experiences of a PHV were twofold. On one hand, the positive experiences indicate that one structured PHV was able to empower the participants and strengthen their self-esteem, making them feel in control over their situation and more aware of the importance of keeping several steps ahead. Together this could motivate them to take measures and engage in health-promoting activities. On the other hand, the PHV was experienced as being of no value by a few. These findings may partly explain the positive results from PHV interventions and emphasize that one challenge for health care professionals is to motivate older people who are healthy and independent to engage in health-promoting and disease-preventive activities.

Highlights

As more people reach older age, there is a growing interest in improving old person’s health, activity, independence and social participation, thereby adding quality to the extended years
The analysis of the interview data resulted in four categories: 1. The Preventive home visits (PHV) made me visible and proved my human value: 2. The PHV brought a feeling of security: 3. The PHV gave an incentive to action; 4
Our Findings confirm the theory of Henriksen and Vass [30], who suggest that one reason for the positive results of a preventive home visit may be that the older person is taken seriously and participate in decisions concerning his/her own health

Summary

Introduction

As more people reach older age, there is a growing interest in improving old person’s health, activity, independence and social participation, thereby adding quality to the extended years. The rapid rise in the number of very old people (80+) in Sweden and elsewhere represents a major challenge with regard to both the quality and the costs of health care [1,2] This has led to a growing interest in improving old people’s health, activity, independence and social participation, thereby adding quality to the extended years. A large proportion of these people over 80 years are in good health and live in their own homes, managing most of their daily activities on their own [7] These persons who are independent of help from others tend to report fewer symptoms and higher quality of life than those who are dependent on help [8]. As many older people are physically active and have a strong inner drive to maintain health, they should be a suitable target group for healthpromoting and disease-preventive interventions [10]

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