Complex Interventions Can Help Older Adults Maintain Independent Living

Multifactorial interventions can help older adults maintain their independence, according to a Lancet meta-analysis.
Researchers in the U.K. pooled data from 89 randomized trials comprising nearly 98,000 adults aged 65 or older. In all trials, minimal care was compared with multifactorial interventions that involved personalized geriatric assessment plus any of the following:
community-based care after hospital discharge,
fall prevention measures, and
group education and counseling.
All trials had at least 6 months of follow-up. Overall, multifactorial interventions lowered the risk for nursing-home and hospital admissions, improved physical function, and reduced the likelihood of falls.
Editorialists acknowledge the challenges of providing multifactorial interventions (e.g., the shortage of healthcare workers), but they conclude that if done "right," such care has "the potential to improve the quality of life for elderly people and their [caregivers], and possibly even to reduce the costs of health and social care."