| Making decisions about simple interventions: older people's use of walking aids. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 17646215 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
BACKGROUND: Walking difficulty is common in old age. Simple and inexpensive interventions, such as walking aids, provide considerable assistance. However, older people's views on walking aids are likely to affect their uptake, and we have little knowledge about older people's motivations for using walking aids. AIM: To explore older people's views on their use of walking aids. METHODS: Longitudinal qualitative study comprising in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of 24 men and women recruited from a UK national cross-sectional population survey of older people. Participants were 69-90 years old at the first interview, 15 were followed up a year later, and 12 were followed up again a year after that. Analysis was conducted using constant comparison methods. RESULTS: Of the 24 people interviewed at the start of the study, 12 used walking aids, mainly walking sticks. These aids came from a range of sources, including informal ones. Over the course of the study, some participants adopted walking aids or changed the types of aids that they used. As time passed, participants' initial misgivings about the use of aids subsided, and walking aids were described as improving confidence and facilitating activity and participation. Decisions to start using walking aids were influenced by both gradual and sudden changes in ability and by culturally informed views about ageing. Views on ageing initially acted as barriers to the use of aids but then acted as facilitators to use. CONCLUSIONS: Walking aids enable continued activity and participation and it is likely that they provide benefits of health and well being. Health care providers can draw on the knowledge about the impact of beliefs about ageing to help them reach shared decisions with older patients about the use of walking aids. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Rachael Gooberman-Hill; Shah Ebrahim |
Related Documents
:
|
19682115 - Estimating the quantity and economic value of family caregiving for community-dwelling ... 5679015 - Old people. 15372425 - Illustrious personalities of ancient and byzantine greece with renal problems. 12678445 - Factors influencing acceptability of voluntary counselling and testing for hiv in bushe... 1343715 - Various pyrethroids on bednets and curtains. 15623125 - Journalists' knowledge of aids and attitude to persons living with hiv in ibadan, nigeria. |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2007-07-23 |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Age and ageing Volume: 36 ISSN: 0002-0729 ISO Abbreviation: Age Ageing Publication Date: 2007 Sep |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2007-10-04 Completed Date: 2008-02-05 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 0375655 Medline TA: Age Ageing Country: England |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 569-73 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
|
MRC Health Services Research Collaboration, Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2PR, UK. R.Gooberman-Hill@bristol.ac.uk |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
Aged Aged, 80 and over Aging / physiology Cross-Sectional Studies Decision Making* Female Humans Longitudinal Studies Male Self-Help Devices / utilization* Walking* |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Four years on: the impact of the National Service Framework for Older People on the experiences, exp...
Next Document: Sit-to-stand as home exercise for mobility-limited adults over 80 years of age--GrandStand System ma...