elderly couple dancing in a kitchen

Project: Confidence in every step 2.0

In this project, we will explore how a digital tool as part of a peer-to-peer intervention can be integrated into the home healthcare, to sustainably support and motivate older adults to retain, train and maintain their physical functioning at home.

Project information

Project title
Confidence in every step 2.0 – retaining and maintaining physical functioning and independence among older adults
Project manager
Sofia Backåberg
Other project members
Susanna Strandberg, Mirjam Ekstedt, Cecilia Fagerström and Welf Löwe, Linnaeus University; Larry Katz, University of Calgary, Canada
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University, Alvesta and Kalmar municipalities, Region Kalmar län
Financier
Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte)
Timetable
1 Jan 2023–31 Dec 2025
Subject
Caring science, e-health (Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)

More about the project

With an increasing proportion of older adults, the need for rehabilitation measures that effectively support older people to regain physical functions to maintain an independent and active living also increases. When older adults' functional ability suddenly changes, for example after an injury or hospital stay, the support to regain physical function and confidence is critical.

The methods and tools to sustainably support this process are lacking. In an ongoing project (Confidence in every step 1.0), a digital tool based on peer-to-peer learning (PPL) and structured video feedback has been shown to motivate movement changes among older couples. The next step is to explore how the tool can be used in a PPL intervention to support the co-creation of preventive measures in primary care. The overall aim is to finalize the development and assess the feasibility of a PPL intervention in a home healthcare context among older adults, to regain physical functioning and confidence to move to maintain independence in daily living.

In this exploratory co-design project, a PPL intervention will be developed, adapted and tested together with users in two phases:

  1. Adaptation using co-design workshops with older adults and staff. 
  2. Test of feasibility (acceptability, evaluation, and refinement of design) in municipal primary health care using mixed methods.

Physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, and older adults will be recruited via research partners mainly in the Kalmar and Alvesta municipalities.

The project provides new knowledge to support a rehabilitative, learning, and interprofessional approach among staff who work with older adults. It is part of the research in The ReAction group and the Linnaeus Knowledge Environment: Sustainable Health.

Staff