The frail older person does not exist: development of frailty profiles with latent class analysis.

BACKGROUND: A fundamental issue in elderly care is targeting those older people at risk and in need of care interventions. Frailty is widely used to capture variations in health risks but there is no general consensus on the conceptualization of frailty. Indeed, there is considerable heterogeneity in the group of older people characterized as frail. This research identifies frailty profiles based on the physical, psychological, social and cognitive domains of functioning and the severity of the problems within these domains. METHODS: This research was a secondary data-analysis of older persons derived from The Older Person and Informal Caregiver Minimum Dataset. Selected respondents were 60 years and older (n = 43,704; 59.6% female). The following variables were included: self-reported health, cognitive functioning, social functioning, mental health, morbidity status, and functional limitations. Using latent class analysis, the population was divided in subpopulations that were subsequently discussed in a focus group with older people for further validation. RESULTS: We distinguished six frailty profiles: relatively healthy; mild physically frail; psychologically frail; severe physically frail; medically frail and multi-frail. The relatively healthy had limited problems across all domains. In three profiles older people mostly had singular problems in either the physical or psychological domain and the severity of the problems differed. Two remaining profiles were multidimensional with a combination of problems that extended to the social and cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS: Our research provides an empirical base for meaningful frailty profiles. The profiles showed specific patterns underlying the problems in different domains of functioning. The heterogeneous population of frail older people has differing needs and faces different health issues that should be considered to tailor care interventions. Evaluation research of these interventions should acknowledge the heterogeneity of frailty by profiling.

[National developments in Emergency Departments in the Netherlands: numbers and origins of patients in the period from 2012 to 2015]. / Landelijke ontwikkelingen in de Nederlandse SEH's.

OBJECTIVE: Gaining insight into key figures of emergency departments (EDs) in the Netherlands and developments in these figures. DESIGN: Longitudinal survey study. METHOD: Over the period from 2012 up to and including 2015, the following key data were surveyed: number of EDs, number of ED patients, ED patients' origin, number of hospital admissions from the ED and form of cooperation between ED and a general practitioner centre (GPC). RESULTS: An average of 96% of all EDs responded. The number of EDs decreased from 93 to 87. The percentage of EDs that maintained a form of cooperation with a GPC in the hospital rose from 49% to 79%. The total number of patients seen annually in an ED in the Netherlands decreased by 128,000 to 1.951 million. The proportion of patients presenting in the ED via ambulance, mobile medical team or 112 (emergency number) increased by 2.6% to 16.0%. The proportion of patients referred from their own GP or GPCs increased by 7.8% to an average of 50.3%. The proportion of self-referrals decreased by 12.6% to 17.4%. The proportion of patients who came up to the ED through a different route remained constant at around 14%. The nationwide variation in the origin of patients remained high. The average percentage of hospital admissions from the ED increased by 5.6% to 37.2%. CONCLUSION: The number of EDs is decreasing and the cooperation between EDs and GPCs has intensified. The number of patients seen in the ED has decreased. The percentage of self-referrals has decreased and the number of hospital admissions from the ED has increased significantly. For a successful and consistent policy, more substantive data on the nature and extent of emergency care in the ED are needed. This requires a national registry.

[Cost-effectiveness in Dutch mental health care: future because of ROM?]. / Doelmatigheid in de ggz: toekomst dankzij ROM?

BACKGROUND: The document reporting Dutch mental health care negotiations for 2014-2017 calls for a cost decrease based on cost-effectiveness. Thanks to ROM, the Dutch mental health care seems well prepared for cost-effectiveness research. AIM: Evaluate how valid cost-effectiveness research should be established in mental health care and the role of rom therein. METHOD: Evaluation of requirements of cost-effectiveness research, trends, and a translation to Dutch mental health care. RESULTS: Valid cost-effectiveness research in mental health care requires the application of a societal perspective, a long time-horizon and an adequate evaluation of quality of life of patients. Healthcare consumption, outcome of care and characterisation of the patient population should be measured systematically and continuously. Currently, rom-data are not suitable to serve as a basis for cost-effectiveness research, although a proper basis is present. Further development of rom could lead to a situation in which mental health care is purchased on the basis of cost-effectiveness. However, cost-effectiveness will only really be improved if quality of care is rewarded, rather than rewarding activities that are not always related to outcome of care. CONCLUSION: Cost-effectiveness research in mental health care should focus on societal costs and benefits, quality of life and a long time-horizon. If developed further, rom has the potential to be a basis for cost-effectiveness research in the future.

The influence of corporate structure and quality improvement activities on outcome improvement in residential care homes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of corporate structure and quality improvement (QI) activities on improvements in client-reported and professional indicators between 2007 and 2009. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using organizational survey and indicator multilevel modelling to test relationships between corporate structure, QI activities and performance improvements on indicators. SETTING: In total, 169 residential care homes for the elderly in the Netherlands. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change between 2007 and 2009 in client-reported and professional indicators. RESULTS: A middle-size corporate structure was associated with QI. The QI activity 'multidisciplinary team meetings' was positively correlated with the indicator 'safety environment' for somatic and psycho-geriatric care. The QI activities 'educational material' and 'direct work instructions' were associated negatively with the indicator 'availability of personnel' for somatic clients, but positively for psycho-geriatric clients. QI activities such as 'health plan activities', 'clinical lessons' and 'financial activities' had no relationship to improved performance. For psycho-geriatric clients mainly organizational QI activities were positively associated with QI. The mediating role of the corporate structure for performing QI activities appeared stronger for the change in client-reported than for professional indicators. CONCLUSION: This study reveals associations between QI activities and corporate structure and changes in indicator performance. A corporate structure was associated with improvement in client-reported indicators, but less on professional indicators, which assumes a central policy at corporate level with impact on client-reported indicators, in contrast to a more local level approach towards activities that result in QI on professional indicators. Tailoring QI activities at the right managerial level may be important to achieve improvement.

Are the Dutch long-term care organizations getting better? A trend study of quality indicators between 2007 and 2009 and the patterns of regional influences on performance.

OBJECTIVE: and setting The Dutch long-term care organizations, providing somatic care, psycho-geriatric care and home care, have to measure the quality of care through client-related and professional indicators since 2007. At the same time, competition was introduced with regional stimuli from healthcare insurers. The first aim of this study is to determine the trends of the national performance on client-related and professional quality indicators for the period 2007-09 in long-term care organizations in the Netherlands. The second aim is to determine the influence of the region on the quality performance in 2009. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We performed trend analyses on the indicators of clients of 2115 long-term care organizations. We used multivariate analyses to determine the difference in national performance between 2007 and 2009 and to calculate the influence of the region on the performance of 2009. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Client-related and professional indicators. RESULTS: The national performance on client-related indicators for somatic care and home care increased and for psycho-geriatric care the quality performance became worse. The professional indicators for intramural care improved between 2007 and 2009. Region influences the performance. In general, organizations in the west of the Netherlands performed worse than other regions (with exception of home care). CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that working with quality indicators in long-term care organizations for older people may lead to a better performance on several indicators. The influence of the region on the quality is significant, which could be caused by Dutch healthcare insurers.

Do centres with well-developed protocols, training and infrastructure have higher rates of thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke?

BACKGROUND: The introduction of intravenous thrombolysis with recombinant tissue Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA) has greatly improved the effectiveness of acute ischaemic stroke care. However, in most hospitals only 2-10% of all admitted stroke patients are treated with thrombolysis. AIM: The purpose of this study is to identify if available protocols, training and infrastructure influence the thrombolysis rate. DESIGN: Cohort study of 12 hospitals in the Netherlands. METHODS: In a cohort of patients admitted with acute stroke within 24 h from onset of symptoms, data were obtained. Stroke service characteristics of 12 hospitals were acquired through structured interviews with intra- and extramural representatives, in order to asses (i) protocols, (ii) training and (iii) complexity of infrastructure. Data were analysed with multi-level logistic regression to relate the likelihood of treatment with thrombolysis to availability and completeness of protocols, training and infrastructure both outside (extramural) and inside (intramural) each centre. RESULTS: Overall 5515 patients were included in the study. Thrombolysis rates varied from 5.7% to 21.7%. An association was observed between thrombolysis rates and extramural training [odds ratio (OR): 1.11; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.99-1.25] and availability of intramural protocols (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.12-1.91). After adjustment for hospital size and teaching vs. nonteaching hospital, these associations became stronger; extramural training [adjusted OR (aOR): 1.14; 95% CI: 1.01-1.30] and availability of intramural protocols (aOR: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.30-2.39). CONCLUSIONS: Extramural training and intramural protocols are important tools to increase thrombolysis rates for acute ischaemic stroke in hospitals. Intramural protocols and extramural training should be aimed at all relevant professionals.

Bottom-up implementation of disease-management programmes: results of a multisite comparison.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the implementation of three regional disease-management programmes on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) based on bottlenecks experienced in professional practice. METHODS: The authors performed a multisite comparison of three Dutch regional disease-management programmes combining patient-related, professional-directed and organisational interventions. Process (Assessing Chronic Illness Care survey) and outcome (disease specific quality of life (clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ); chronic respiratory questionnaire (CRQ)), Medical Research Council dyspnoea and patients' experiences) data were collected for 370 COPD patients and their care providers. RESULTS: Bottlenecks in region A were mostly related to patient involvement, in region B to organisational issues and in region C to both. Selected interventions related to identified bottlenecks were implemented in all programmes, except for patient-related interventions in programme A. Within programmes, significant improvements were found on dyspnoea and patients' experiences with practice nurses. Outcomes on quality of life differed between programmes: programme A did not show any significant improvements; programme B did show any significant improvements on CCQ total (p<0.001), functional (p=0.011) and symptom (p<0.001), CRQ fatigue (p<0.001) and emotional scales (p<0.001); in programme C, CCQ symptom (p<0.001) improved significantly, whereas CCQ mental score (p<0.001) deteriorated significantly. Regression analyses showed that programmes with better implementation of selected interventions resulted in relatively larger improvements in quality of life (CCQ). CONCLUSIONS: Bottom-up implementation of COPD disease-management programmes is a feasible approach, which in multiple settings leads to significant improvements in outcomes of care. Programmes with a better fit between implemented interventions and bottlenecks showed more positive changes in outcomes.

Discrepant perceptions of communication, teamwork and situation awareness among surgical team members.

OBJECTIVE: To assess surgical team members' differences in perception of non-technical skills. DESIGN: Questionnaire design. SETTING: Operating theatres (OTs) at one university hospital, three teaching hospitals and one general hospital in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-six surgeons, 97 OT nurses, 18 anaesthetists and 40 nurse anaesthetists. METHODS: All surgical team members, of five hospitals, were asked to complete a questionnaire and state their opinion on the current state of communication, teamwork and situation awareness at the OT. RESULTS: Ratings for 'communication' were significantly different, particularly between surgeons and all other team members (P ≤ 0.001). The ratings for 'teamwork' differed significantly between all team members (P ≤ 0.005). Within 'situation awareness' significant differences were mainly observed for 'gathering information' between surgeons and other team members (P < 0.001). Finally, 72-90% of anaesthetists, OT nurses and nurse anaesthetists rated routine team briefings and debriefings as inadequate. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows discrepancies on many aspects in perception between surgeons and other surgical team members concerning communication, teamwork and situation awareness. Future research needs to ascertain whether these discrepancies are linked to greater risk of adverse events or to process as well as systems failures. Establishing this link would support implementation and use of complex team interventions that intervene at multiple levels of the healthcare system.

A model to evaluate quality and effectiveness of disease management.

Disease management has emerged as a new strategy to enhance quality of care for patients suffering from chronic conditions, and to control healthcare costs. So far, however, the effects of this strategy remain unclear. Although current models define the concept of disease management, they do not provide a systematic development or an explanatory theory of how disease management affects the outcomes of care. The objective of this paper is to present a framework for valid evaluation of disease-management initiatives. The evaluation model is built on two pillars of disease management: patient-related and professional-directed interventions. The effectiveness of these interventions is thought to be affected by the organisational design of the healthcare system. Disease management requires a multifaceted approach; hence disease-management programme evaluations should focus on the effects of multiple interventions, namely patient-related, professional-directed and organisational interventions. The framework has been built upon the conceptualisation of these disease-management interventions. Analysis of the underlying mechanisms of these interventions revealed that learning and behavioural theories support the core assumptions of disease management. The evaluation model can be used to identify the components of disease-management programmes and the mechanisms behind them, making valid comparison feasible. In addition, this model links the programme interventions to indicators that can be used to evaluate the disease-management programme. Consistent use of this framework will enable comparisons among disease-management programmes and outcomes in evaluation research.

Designing patient-related interventions in COPD care: empirical test of a theoretical model.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this exploratory study was to test the applicability of a theoretical model to develop patient-related interventions. In this model knowledge, psychosocial mediators, self-efficacy and behaviour are determinants of patient-related interventions. METHODS: The model was tested on 278 patients with mild or moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), recruited in a primary care setting. Hierarchical regression analyses were applied using data from self-reported questionnaires and clinical data from an electronic data registry. RESULTS: Knowledge, psychosocial mediators, self-efficacy and behaviour proved to be, to a moderate degree, predictors of outcomes in COPD care. Moreover, physical activity appeared to be a significant predictor for all clinical and functional outcomes. CONCLUSION: Theoretically expected associations of patient-related interventions are existent in patients with mild or moderate COPD. The application of theoretical models in designing patient-directed interventions in COPD care is therefore feasible. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: More attention should be paid to the patterns of physical activity in patients with mild to moderate COPD. The results of this study are also useful in the development of patient-related interventions. Future interventions should be designed along the lines of theory on behaviour change, such as social cognitive theory.

Cost-effectiveness of integrated stroke services.

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials have shown that integrating services for acute stroke care may lead to organizational improvements, higher efficiency and better patient outcomes in the acute phase. AIM: To compare the costs and effects of stroke services in an experimental group of patients compared to a group of patients receiving conventional care. DESIGN: Prospective non-randomized controlled trial. METHODS: We compared all consecutively hospitalized stroke patients in three experimental stroke service settings (Delft, Haarlem and Nijmegen, n = 411) with concurrent patients receiving conventional stroke care (n = 187) over 6 months follow-up. Main end-points were total costs per patient and total health-adjusted days per 100 patients as measured by the EuroQol-5D score during follow-up. RESULTS: Mean total costs per patient were 16,000 Euro (95%CI 14,670 Euro-16,930 Euro): 13,160 Euro in Delft, 16,790 Euro in Haarlem, 20,230 Euro in Nijmegen, and 13,810 Euro in the control regions. Early discharge in Delft saved about 2500 Euro hospital costs per patient. General patient health in Delft was significantly better than in the control regions; Haarlem and Nijmegen showed no difference in health. DISCUSSION: Our study confirms the potential to improve stroke outcomes in a cost-effective way in Dutch settings. This was seen in the group of patients in Delft, a complete and relatively simple stroke service, but not in two other regions with more complex stroke services. Important factors are reduction of hospital days and, most likely, adequate multidisciplinary rehabilitation.

Integrated care for patients with a stroke in the Netherlands: results and experiences from a national Breakthrough Collaborative Improvement project.

PURPOSE: This article considers the question if measurable improvements are achieved in the quality of care in stroke services by using a Breakthrough collaborative quality improvement model. CONTEXT OF CASE: Despite the availability of explicit criteria, evidence based guidelines, national protocols and examples of best practices; stroke care in the Netherlands did not improve substantially yet. For that reason a national collaborative started in 2002 to improve integrated stroke care in 23 self selected stroke services. DATA SOURCES: Characteristics of sites, teams, aims and changes were assessed by using a questionnaire and monthly self-reports of teams. Progress in achieving significant quality improvement has been assessed on a five point Likert scale (IHI score). CASE DESCRIPTION: The stroke services (n=23) formed multidisciplinary teams, which worked together in a collaborative based on the IHI Breakthrough Series Model. Teams received instruction in quality improvement, reviewed self reported performance data, identified bottlenecks and improvement goals, and implemented "potentially better practices" based on criteria from the Edisse study, evidence based guidelines, own ideas and expert opinion. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: Quality of care has been improved in most participating stroke services. Eighty-seven percent of the teams have improved their care significantly on at least one topic. About 34% of the teams have achieved significant improvement on all aims within the time frame of the project. The project has contributed to the further development and spread of integrated stroke care in the Netherlands.

[Delayed discharge of older patients from the Department of Geriatric Medicine of the Erasmus Medical Centre and factors affecting the length of stay; July 2001--June 2002]. / Wachtduur bij ontslag van de afdeling Geriatrie van het Erasmus Medisch Centrum, en beïnvloedende factoren; juli 2001--juni 2002.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how the discharge of older patients proceeds and what factors affect it. DESIGN: Descriptive. METHOD: Data were collected on the 123 patients admitted to the Department of Geriatric Medicine of the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands: retrospectively, from the patient files, for the admissions in the period from 1 July 2001 to 31 March 2002, and prospectively for the admissions between 1 April and 30 June 2002. Key figures in the discharge process were also interviewed during the period from 1 September to 21 November 2002. RESULTS: The average age was 83.5 years (SD: 7); 34% were males. The average duration of treatment was 13 days while the average length of admission was 22 days. There was an average of 10 days between the request from the Geriatrics Department to discharge from the hospital, via a care office for an additional-care facility, an Aftercare Office and a Regional Indicating Office (RIO). Patient characteristics that were associated with a longer duration of admission and a longer discharge procedure were: discharge to a somatic nursing home, a diagnosis of 'delirium' or 'dementia', and living independently at home before admission. Patients who were known to the Geriatrics Department (either via the outpatient clinic or via a previous admission) had a shorter duration of admission. Of all the indication decisions of the RIO, only one deviated from the recommendation of the Geriatrics Department. CONCLUSION: The average duration of admission was 9 days longer than the average duration of treatment. The discharge procedure could be accelerated by simplifying the bureaucratic process surrounding indication and referral to an additional-care facility and by accepting the recommendations of the Geriatrics Department.

Objectivity in needs assessment practice: admission to a residential home.

In 1997, the Dutch government installed independent agencies to assess the long-term care needs of individual clients and to give advice on the allocation of appropriate services. Needs assessors assess, among other things, the eligibility of clients requesting admission to a residential home. According to guidelines, needs assessors should do this objectively and independently from care providers and health care insurers. The present paper examines how needs assessors explore the clients' expressed needs, determine their normative needs and advise on allocation. Needs assessors perform these tasks in a situation where a clear professional framework is absent, and moreover, residential home capacity is limited. A qualitative study was undertaken, observing 13 house calls of clients requesting admission to a residential home. Furthermore, interviews were held with all needs assessors and a document analysis was made. It was found that needs assessors use comparable methods in exploring the clients' motivation and assessing their needs in the relevant areas, apparently using a professional framework. However, when transforming the needs of clients into an adequate allocation, needs assessors struggled with interpretation of criteria and included their personal ideas of services into the allocation decision. The paper concludes with the suggestion that further professionalisation may lead to a greater uniformity in needs assessment practice, and will assist needs assessors in the difficult task of transforming clients' needs into long-term care allocation advice.

[Separation of housing and care: more or less care? Consequences for health care services utilization by the elderly]. / Scheiden van wonen en zorg: een zorg meer of minder? De consequenties voor het zorggebruik van ouderen.

The Dutch policy for the care of the elderly has been mainly characterised by the aim to improve the possibility for elderly people to live independently for as long as possible. One measure that has been taken to achieve this goal is the separation of the financing of care from the accommodation in which care is given. Recent discussions have brought to light some possible positive and negative effects of this separation on the use of care. It is, however, largely unknown to what extent there are differences concerning the nature and intensity of care and the type of caregivers provided to dwellers of houses where care and housing are separated (so-called 'life-time houses') and the elderly who live in homes for residential care and nursing homes. To gain insight in this matter an explorative study was conducted in Rotterdam of the use of several health facilities by matching 35 dwellers of 'life-time houses' on the criteria age, health needs and social status with 35 dwellers of residential care homes and nursing homes. On the basis of interviews, questionnaires and patient records data were collected and analysed on the nature and amount of help that has been given (per minute per week) and the kind of caregiver. The main finding is that the use pattern differs between the research groups. Dwellers of 'life-time houses' generally make more use of some care facilities and make more use of different types of care and caregivers. These differences however do not seem to be exclusively caused by the separation of housing and care.

Elderly community residents' evaluative criteria and preferences for formal and informal in-home services.

This article focuses on the evaluative criteria of elderly community residents regarding their preferences in cases of long-term care decision-making. An overall picture of the evaluative criteria which the elderly use to evaluate various alternatives for long-term care are assessed. Furthermore, we determined which of these evaluative criteria may be considered as the most important by the elderly. A good relationship with informal carers appears almost pre-conditional to a preference for informal support. The desire not to burden acquaintances, as well as a positive previous experience with this type of care, are the most important reasons stated for choosing formal or private services. Insights into criteria that are used to evaluate different care arrangements clarify and refine our perspective on future developments.

The use of technical aids by elderly persons in The Netherlands: an application of the Andersen and Newman model.

In this article, variables were identified that are able to explain the use of technical aids by elderly people. The model developed by Andersen and Newman (1973) formed the basis for this research. Data were gathered from 498 randomly selected elderly people who were single, 75 years or older, and living independently. Whether or not elderly people use mobility aids or technical aids for basic activities of daily living (ADLs) is mainly predicted by need (functional status, chronic illnesses) and predisposing (gender, housing) variables. The number of used technical aids can be explained by predisposing (age, housing, education), enabling (income, receiving help), and need (functional status, chronic illness) variables. As opposed to others, in this study elderly people with a high income were less likely to use many mobility aids than people with an average income. We could not offer a plausible explanation for the nonlinear relationship between income and the number of technical aids used.

[Aids in general daily activities can hardly replace professional home care. Results of a study among single 75-year-olds or older]. / Hulpmiddelen bij de Algemene Dagelijkse Levensverrichtingen kunnen professionele thuiszorg nauwelijks vervangen. Resultaten van een onderzoek onder aleenstaande 75-plussers.

In this study we have examined for which ADL and mobility activities simple technical aids, including housing adaptations, can replace formal home care. A representative group of 498 single, independently living elderly persons, aged 75 years or older, were interviewed orally. Many elderly interviewees (81.5%) had difficulties performing instrumental activities of daily living. Approximately one third of them received professional home care. We did not include technical aids for household activities in our study, since the distinction between technical aids and consumer products is unclear, and it was impossible to include all consumer products in our study. About 20% of the 120 elderly persons who had difficulties with personal care, received home care, especially in dressing and bathing. Only 5% of the elderly people with mobility problems (N = 208) got home care for mobility activities; most of them used technical aids or informal helpers. This means that stimulation of more mobility aids will not decrease the need for home care. Technical aids are very important for elderly people, but there are hardly any possibilities for replacing home care by the implementation of more technical aids.

Hospital adaptation to risk-bearing: managerial implications of changes in purchaser-provider contracting.

A number of countries have adopted contracting reforms in which hospitals are placed at financial risk. This risk has stimulated a number of adaptive strategies to achieve organizational success. This paper presents a model of six forms of contracting relationships and reviews the adaptation strategies observed in three health systems: the USA, England and the Netherlands. These strategies include service diversification, improved management information systems, the employment of marketing and contract managers, the use of clinical pathways, case management and concurrent/retrospective review of hospital stays, quality management and quality assurance programs, pre-admission authorization, discharge planning, and physician profiling and participation in management. These adaptive strategies have three implications for managers: increased 'partnering', with purchasers, collaboration with medical staff, and assumption of managed care roles. Two groups of institutions are at risk from the changes in hospital contracting: university teaching hospitals and inner-city hospitals serving socially deprived populations. The paper ends with implications for the education of hospital managers and research on hospital management and adaptation to contracting.

[Effects of technical aids on the utilization of professional care. A study among single 75-year olds]. / De effecten van hulpmiddelen op het gebruik van professionele zorg. Een onderzoek onder alleenstaande 75-plussers.

In this paper we describe the results of a project, in which occupational therapists visited 83 independently living, single, elderly people (clients of organisations providing care) and advised them about technical aids. Subsequently some technical aids were provided. The intervention group received, on average, three out of five advised technical aids. The effect of this intervention was an increase in the use of technical aids (people used, on average, two technical aids more at the end of the project), which means that the provided technical aids were being used. This effect was stronger in the group of the 75-84 old persons than in the above 85 year old ones. This effect led to a change in people's attitudes towards technical aids: at the beginning of the project 80% of the elderly believed technical aids could help them to remain independent and at the end this percentage was 90%. There was a slight, non-significant, decrease in the number of hours home help (from 5,4 to 4,7 hours per week). However, we were unable to ascertain an effect on the percentage of elderly using community care or waiting for institutional care. This may have been due to the heterogeneity of the intervention, the small research population and the relatively short intervention period. Elderly should be assessed as being in need of technical aids at an earlier stage.