Effects of reablement on home-dwelling older adults’ physical functioning - a quasi-experimental study in primary healthcare

Q: What was the aim of the study on reablement?

The study aimed to describe participants’ characteristics and evaluate the effects of reablement on physical functioning at six-month follow-up.

Q: How was the study designed and where was it conducted?

A quasi-experimental one-group design was used, with assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and six-month follow-up in primary healthcare in Finland.

Q: Which measures were used to evaluate physical functioning?

Primary outcomes were the Short Physical Performance Battery test and hand grip strength, collected during reablement visits by physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Sep 30, 2026

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Reablement at home is used worldwide in health and social care to help older adults achieve independent, meaningful daily living while reducing reliance on long-term services. Evidence remains limited and findings are partly inconsistent. This quasi-experimental one-group study evaluated reablement participants’ characteristics and the effects on physical functioning at baseline, post-intervention, and six-month follow-up in primary healthcare settings in Finland.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Objective

Design

Subjects and Methods

Results

Conclusion

Background

Person-centred, home-based reablement

Physical functioning and coping

Assessment and implications

Aging Clinical and Experimental Research (2026) 38:35 [https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-025-03292-1](https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-025-03292-1) RESEARCH Effects of reablement on home-dwelling older adults’ physical functioning: a quasi-experimental study in primary healthcare MarjaanaTeerikangas1 · Sinikka Lotvonen1 · Heidi Siira1 · Satu Elo1,2 Received: 22 April 2025 / Revised: 1 November 2025 / Accepted: 8 December 2025 © The Author(s) 2025 Abstract Background Reablement at home takes place in health and social care services globally to support older adults in achieving independent and meaningful daily living and reducing the need for long-term care. However, research into reablement at home is scarce and the results are partly conflicting. Objective To describe the characteristics of reablement participants and evaluate the effects of reablement on their physical functioning at six-month follow-up. Design A quasi-experimental one-group design was employed, with assessments of physical functioning conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and six-month follow-up within a primary healthcare setting in Finland. Subjects Home-dwelling older adults (n = 55) receiving interdisciplinary reablement care who met the inclusion criteria. Methods Primary outcomes are the Short Physical Performance Battery test and hand grip strength. Data collection was carried out during reablement visits by physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Results are described by mean, standard deviation and maximum and minimum values at baseline. Overall effects are estimated with linear mixed-effects model repeated measure analysis. Results The mean age of participants was 80.6 (SD 7.2) years. Physical functioning improved between baseline and post-test and between baseline and six-month follow-up. Improvement was shown especially in lower limb performance, in which the changes between baseline and post-test were statistically significant (p< 0.05) . Conclusion The results indicate that reablement increases the physical functioning of home-dwelling older adults with functional decline at six-month follow-up. Reablement is therefore recommended for the corresponding target groups. Keywords Reablement · Older adult · Physical functioning · Short physical performance battery (SPPB) · Hand grip strength Background There is global concern about the world’s ageing population and how to enable age-friendly environments that support older adults in healthy and functional ageing to maximise their competences and manage their daily lives independently. It is suggested that nations should provide an integrated person-centred continuum of care that focuses on 􀀍 Marjaana Teerikangas [marjaana.teerikangas@gmail.com](marjaana.teerikangas@gmail.com) 1 GeroNursing Centre, Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland 2 Oulu Wellbeing and Cultural Field of Expertise, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, Oulu, Finland supporting individuals to meet their needs and fulfil their goals [1] . Older adults often experience unmet health and social care needs [2] and frailty is common among this population [3] . Reablement is one possible and potentially useful approach to meeting the health and social care needs of older adults at risk of functional decline and frailty. In a recent Delphi study, reablement was defined as a person-centred, holistic approach that aims to enhance an individual’s functioning in order to increase or maintain their independence in meaningful activities of daily living (ADL) at their place of residence and to reduce their need for long-term services [4] . Reablement has been described as a person-centred and home-based approach, which is time limited (usually six to 12 weeks) and provided by an interdisciplinary team of health and social care professionals [5, 6] . Reablement 1 3 primarily aims to enhance functioning, and this is determined by the individual’s physical a

FAQs

What was the aim of the study on reablement?

The study aimed to describe participants’ characteristics and evaluate the effects of reablement on physical functioning at six-month follow-up.

How was the study designed and where was it conducted?

A quasi-experimental one-group design was used, with assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and six-month follow-up in primary healthcare in Finland.

Which measures were used to evaluate physical functioning?

Primary outcomes were the Short Physical Performance Battery test and hand grip strength, collected during reablement visits by physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

Sep 30, 2026

Upload by Levi