Health Outcomes Following the Health-Promoting "Reflective STRENGTH-Giving Dialogue" Intervention Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

BACKGROUND

Effective health-promoting interventions can support older adults in maintaining and regaining good health and can foster healthy aging. The Reflective STRENGTH-Giving Dialogues (STRENGTH) intervention was created to optimise a holistic healthcare delivery that supports older adults in learning to live with long-term musculoskeletal pain. Findings from previous studies indicate that the dialogues contributed to an increased sense of well-being and had an immediate pain-alleviating effect. The aim of this extended study was to explore the health effects of the STRENGTH intervention among older community-dwelling adults living with long-term health problems.

METHODS

Older adults (n = 47) in Sweden completed questionnaires inquiring about levels of well-being, impact of health problems on daily life, depression symptom occurrences, health-related quality of life, physical performance, and consumption of care using a quasi-experimental design. Descriptive statistics were used to explain and compare results within groups. Data were collected before, during, and after the STRENGTH intervention in autumn 2017 and spring 2018. It consisted of health-care professionals engaging in recurrent dialogues to guide and support older adults in ways that increase sense of well-being, joy, strength, and meaning in life through carrying out small and large life projects.

RESULTS

According to self-reports, the STRENGTH intervention had immediate positive effects on perceived well-being and health problems. From a longitudinal perspective, although no significant differences in health outcomes were found based on comparisons of baseline and follow-up data within groups, positive effects were shown.

CONCLUSIONS

To contribute to healthy aging, HCPs need favourable conditions for conversations in care encounters, extensive knowledge about the importance and potential of dialogues, and an understanding of how to integrate dialogues into health and social care.