Abstract
BackgroundThe proportion of older people in the population has increased globally and has thus become a challenge in health and social care. There is good evidence that care based on comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is superior to the usual care found in acute hospital settings; however, the evidence is scarcer in community-dwelling older people.This study is a secondary outcome of a randomized controlled trial of community-dwelling older people in which the intervention group (IG) received CGA-based care by a geriatric mobile geriatric team (GerMoT). The aim of this study is to obtain a better understanding, from the patients’ perspective, the experience of being a part of the IG for both the participants and their relatives.MethodsQualitative semistructured interviews of twenty-two community dwelling participants and eleven of their relatives were conducted using content analysis for interpretation.ResultsThe main finding expressed by the participants and their relatives was in the form of feelings related to safety and security and being recognized. The participants found the care easily accessible, and that contacts could be taken according to needs by health care professionals who knew them. This is in accordance with person-centred care as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for older people in need of integrated care. Other positive aspects were recurrent health examinations and being given the time needed when seeking health care. Not all participants were positive as some found the information about the intervention to be unclear especially regarding whom to contact when in different situations.ConclusionsCGA-based care of community-dwelling older people shows promising results as the participants in GerMoT found the care was giving a feeling of security and safety. They found the care easily accessible and that it was provided by health care professionals who knew them as a person and knew their health care problems. They found this to be in contrast to the usual care provided, but GerMoT care did not fulfill some people’s expectations.
Highlights
The proportion of older people in the population has increased globally and has become a challenge in health and social care
The main finding expressed by the participants and their relatives was in the form of feelings related to safety and security and being recognized
comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA)-based care of community-dwelling older people shows promising results as the participants in Geriatric Mobile Team study (GerMoT) found the care was giving a feeling of security and safety
Summary
The proportion of older people in the population has increased globally and has become a challenge in health and social care. The CGA is defined as a multidisciplinary diagnostic and treatment process that identifies the medical, psychosocial, and functional limitations of a frail older person to develop a coordinated plan to maximize their overall health with ageing [8, 9]. This care plan is updated when needed by a team, which at a minimum consists of a physician, nurse, and occupational and physiotherapists but often has support from, for instance, dieticians, social workers, and psychologists
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