Feasibility of Lifestyle Redesign® for community‐dwelling older adults with and without disabilities: Results from an exploratory descriptive qualitative clinical research design

Abstract

Introduction: Although Lifestyle Redesign ® has been shown to be effective in improving older adults' health and well-being, little is known about the feasibility of implementing this programme to develop meaningful and healthpromoting routines of community-dwelling older adults in Canada. This study thus aimed to explore the feasibility of implementing a culturally-adapted 6-month version of Lifestyle Redesign ® with community-dwelling older French-Canadians with and without disabilities.Methods: An exploratory descriptive qualitative clinical research design was used with 17 older adults living at home or in a seniors' residence, divided into two groups participating in Lifestyle Redesign ® . Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants and the occupational therapist who delivered the programme and recorded clinical notes.Findings: Participants were aged between 65 and 90; they were mainly women (n = 11; 64.7%), and seven (41.2%) had disabilities. The intervention was tailored to the participants' needs, interests, and capacities in each group (e.g. modules selected, number of individual sessions, and assistance of volunteer). Over the 6-month period, older adults participated in an average of about 25 group sessions with the occupational therapist and in four or five outings with their group (e.g. restaurant, market, and museum) and attended between 5 and 11 individual sessions with the occupational therapist. The most common reasons for missing group sessions were being ill, working, or having another appointment. Personal facilitators and barriers to participation in the intervention were mainly related to abilities, needs, spiritual life, and health. Environmental facilitators were mostly the regularity of the sessions, group, and external support, including human resources to deliver the intervention, whereas barriers were the residence's time restrictions and staff's attitudes, cost of some activities targeted in the programme, and transportation problems.

Life Domains and Lifestyle of Older Adults Living in a Nursing Home: A Pilot Study

“…11 The Lifestyle Redesign ® program, structured through monthly 1-hour individual sessions and weekly 2-h group sessions over 9 months, demonstrated a reliable and costeffective positive intervention effect on a wide range of outcomes, such as life satisfaction, role functioning, and self-rated physical and emotional health of communitydwelling older adults. 7,8,12 Given these positive effects, the program has been widely implemented and adapted to other culturally specific settings, including UK residents, [13][14][15] migrants in the Netherlands, 16 Swedish population, 17 Latinos in California, [18][19][20] French-Canadians, 21,22 and Israeli population. 23 However, despite its effectiveness in maintaining and improving the health and quality of life of older adults, the literature review did not identify any studies in which a similar program was culturally adapted to the Spanish population.…”

“…Given these positive effects, the program has been widely implemented and adapted to other culturally specific settings, including UK residents, 13 - 15 migrants in the Netherlands, 16 Swedish population, 17 Latinos in California, 18 - 20 French-Canadians, 21 , 22 and Israeli population. 23 …”