The population of older adults is rapidly increasing worldwide and in Norway. A present and future challenge is to provide adequate health and care services to older persons. It is imperative to organize the services in a manner that is both adequate for the older persons in need of help and sustainable for health and care services and society. A way to ensure this is to facilitate and promote measures allowing older adults to age well at home. Accordingly, it is of great importance to enable older adults to engage with health determinants that influence their daily life actively. One area of importance is assessing health determinants and acting upon indications of functional decline, cognitive and sensory impairments, and frailty.~The observational study will assess how interprofessional assessments of health determinants in older adults living at home can promote health and reduce the risk of functional decline. The study participants will take part in two assessments of health determinants including frailty, physical, cognitive, and sensory function, mental and social health, and alcohol use. Based on results from the baseline assessment healthcare personnel will identify factors that can affect the older adult's health, provide tailored information to strengthen health literacy, and offer measures available in the health services in the municipality. The second assessment 5 months after baseline will reveal if tailoring measures and services have contributed to maintaining and supporting the older person's health and reduced the risk of functional decline. The aim of the project is that the elderly living at home maintains health, function, and self-care and thus can have more good days at home.
The observational study will conduct interprofessional assessments by registered nurses, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists of health determinants (i.e., frailty, physical, cognitive, and sensory function, mental and social health, and alcohol use) in older adults (≥75) living at home and applying for a municipal health service. The participants will take part in two assessments, baseline and 5 months. Based on the baseline assessment healthcare professionals will identify factors that can affect older adults' health, provide tailored information, offer measures, and link with proper health services. The aim is that older adults maintain health, function, and self-care and thus can continue aging at home. The main research question is:) How can interprofessional assessments of older adults living at home reduce the risk of impaired function, maintain health and ensure that the elderly receive tailored services?