SETTING HANDICAP GOALS WITH ELDERLY PEOPLE - A PILOT-STUDY OF THE LIFE STRENGTHS INTERVIEW

Objective: To assess whether the Life Strengths Interview (LSI) is a c linical framework to identify handicap goals. Design. Clinical case st udies. Settings: Two elderly care rehabilitation hospitals. Subjects: Five people, whose ages ranged from 73 to 90 years. All participants w ere aware of their likely resultant disability, scored 25+ out of a po ssible 30 with the Mini-Mental State Examination, were able to communi cate effectively and were due to he discharged home in approximately o ne month. Interventions: Each participant undertook the LSI process wi th the research occupational therapist. Main Outcome Measures: Identif ied rehabilitation goals and their achievement. Results: Goals were fo cused around families and other support networks. Six to eight weeks f ollowing discharge, achievement of goals varied. Conclusions: This pil ot study suggests that the LSI may be a useful clinical framework but further research needs to investigate whether a modified clinical Vers ion may be more suitable.