Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions With Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

With the rapid growth of the community-dwelling older adult population, evidence-based occupational therapy interventions targeting older clients need to be effectively implemented. However, little is understood about the factors influencing effective intervention implementation into practice.

METHOD

We performed a scoping review to explore what strategies and factors relate to the uptake of older adult interventions into practice. Concepts from implementation science literature guided our review.

RESULTS

Our review yielded 13 articles that met our search criteria. Study designs examined barriers, facilitators, and strategies related to the implementation of evidence-based older adult interventions into practice. Effective implementation strategies included training sessions, workshops, consultations, and outreach meetings.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that practitioners, administrators, and researchers should adopt strategies such as workshops, consultations, fidelity vignettes, peer mentoring, and standardized training to effectively implement research into practice with older adults.

"I Do It With Love": Engagement in Caring for People With Dementia

For caregivers, the impacts of caring for their loved ones with dementia at home are complex. The purpose of this study was to gain understanding of the meaning and experience of engagement for caregivers of individuals with dementia living in the community. Participants are from a culturally diverse population of low-income caregivers and care recipients in the northeastern United States. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with caregivers (n = 17) who were caring for parents, friends, or other relatives with dementia. We used interpretative phenomenological analysis and identified the superordinate themes of connectedness, meaningfulness, acceptance, and vigilance. We conclude that caregiver engagement is a multidimensional phenomenon, with some dimensions being contextual and specific to caregiving. It is a relational concept, referring to a committed, vigilant, and meaningful relationship of caregivers and care recipients as active collaborators. The different aspects of engagement can complement each other, or they can be in contradiction.