DOING WITH… RATHER THAN DOING FOR… OLDER ADULTS: THE STAY ACTIVE AT HOME PROGRAM

In the Netherlands, 95% of older adults (≥65 years) are community-dwelling with 20% of them receiving homecare services. The ‘Stay Active at Home’ program focuses on doing self-care and domestic tasks with older adults rather than for them. The training program for professionals was pilot-tested using a mixed-methods design. Out of 33 professionals, who were invited to participate in the pilot, 20 attended the kick-off meeting of whom 18 agreed to participate in the study; 94% were female with an average age of 43.7 years. Face-to-face interviews showed that professionals particularly valued the practical examples to stimulate active engagement in daily and physical activities and the possibility to exchange experiences with their colleagues. Furthermore, the weekly newsletter with tips & tricks is perceived as useful to remain aware of the needed behavioral change. Overall, a trend towards better scores for knowledge, self-efficacy and outcome expectation were found.