Feasibility Study of the Health Empowerment Intervention in Older Adults With Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Of almost 5.7 million Americans with heart failure, 80% are 65 years and older. Empowerment approaches facilitating recognition of personal and social contextual resources may improve well-being in this vulnerable population. OBJECTIVE: This research evaluated the feasibility of the Health Empowerment Intervention (HEI) in older adults with heart failure, including effects on health empowerment, purposeful participation, self-management, functional health, and well-being. METHODS: Twenty older adults with heart failure were randomly assigned to HEI or Attention Control conditions. The HEI consisted of 6 weekly sessions based on the Health Empowerment Theory. Outcomes were measured at baseline and at 6 weeks. RESULTS: Feasibility of the HEI was supported; participants realized significant improvement in health empowerment and purposeful participation in goal attainment.ConclusionsThis research supports the feasibility of the HEI and provides a basis for continued evaluation.

Randomized control trial of the Health Empowerment Intervention: feasibility and impact.

BACKGROUND: Older adults prefer to stay in their homes for as long as possible but are often unaware of the resources in their community to help them to remain in their home. Access to resources may be important among older adults, representing a critical area for intervention. OBJECTIVES: The study aim was to evaluate the feasibility of the Health Empowerment Intervention (HEI) and to explore the impact of the HEI on the theoretical mediating variables of health empowerment and purposeful participation in goal attainment and the outcome variable of well-being with homebound older adults. METHOD: Fifty-nine eligible homebound older adults were randomly assigned to the intervention group or the comparison group. The HEI consisted of 6 weekly visits, whereas the comparison group received a weekly newsletter for 6 weeks. Participants were measured at baseline, after the 6-week protocol, and at 12 weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t test, chi, and analysis of covariance. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between groups in education. The participants in the intervention found the sessions to be helpful in recognizing resources. In addition, participants in the intervention group had significantly higher scores in the mediator purposeful participation in goal attainment, F(2, 83) = 3.71, p = .03. There was no significant main effect for the mediator health empowerment; however, the intervention group increased in the subscale personal growth from baseline to 12 weeks, F(1, 83) = 3.88, p = .05. DISCUSSION: This randomized control trial provided initial support for the hypothesis that homebound older adults receiving the HEI would find the intervention acceptable and have significantly improved health empowerment, purposeful participation in goal attainment, and well-being than an attentional comparison group receiving a weekly newsletter.

An innovative approach to recruiting homebound older adults.

Recruiting older adults to participate in intervention research is essential for advancing the science in this field. Developing a relevant recruitment plan responsive to the unique needs of the population before beginning a project is critical to the success of a research study. This article describes our experiences in the process of recruiting homebound older adults to test a community-based health empowerment intervention. In our study, the trust and partnership that existed between the research team and Community Action Agency facilitated the role of the home-delivered meal drivers as a trusted and untapped resource for study recruitment. Researchers can benefit from thinking creatively and developing meaningful partnerships when conducting research with older adults.

The rhythm of health in older women with chronic illness.

Trends in population growth indicate that nurses increasingly will be caring for older adults, especially older women, who are at risk for less than optimal health due to chronic illnesses. The purpose of this qualitative study was to obtain a better understanding of the meaning of health from the perspective of older women. Focus group interviews with 51 women, aged 55 to 93, were held. Data were analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis. A Rogerian perspective of human health provided the broad conceptual lens for the study. Three themes explicating the meanings of health emerged from the data: realizing the potential for purpose, listening to energy flow, and purposefully participating in health-related changes. The three themes represented ways in which the women dealt with the paradoxes posed by their chronic illness. Findings captured the hopeful, although sometimes conflicting, meanings of health among the women as brought forth by experiences with chronic illness and the challenges of aging.