Lifestyle Matters

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Lifestyle Matters

• Gail Mountain and Claire Craig
• Sheffield Hallam University

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• You didnt give me a new lease of life you gave
  me back my life
• Jean

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Considering the Evidence
The Well Elderly study Lifestyle
Redesign University of Southern
California Clark et al 1997
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Findings of a randomised controlled trial

• Significant benefits for individuals
  participating in Lifestyle Redesign across a
  number of health, function and quality of life
  domains
• Findings of social group (control)
• Results of six month follow up

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Questions raised

• Would older people living in the UK want and
  benefit from a programme of this nature?
• What would a Lifestyle Redesign intervention
  look like and who could deliver this?
• What might the practical issues be in terms of
  establishing a programme and inviting people to
  attend?

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The present study
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The programme

• The underlying philosophy - understanding the
  relationship between activity, health and
  well-being
• Designed and directed by older people

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The success of the programme

• A model of preventive health

Didactic teaching
Peer support
Action
Older person as the expert
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Preliminary findings

• Older people living in the UK do want a programme
  of this nature
• Individuals participating in the programme have
  taken significant steps to achieving their
  individual goals

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The principles of Lifestyle Redesign

• Rather than focusing on the delivery of
  individual activities or interventions Lifestyle
  Redesign takes a wider approach believing that
  positive changes can only be sustained if they
  are embedded within what a person does on a day
  to day basis.

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What older people have said about the programme
I've learnt to appreciate life as it comes
I now have a more independent attitude
I have learnt to know my capabilities
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It is constructive not like other groups
Everyone should have the opportunity to come to a
group like this one
I've discovered that I am not alone
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A Journey of Discovery The experiences of
individuals taking part in the study

• Taking steps towards change
• Reframing the experience of growing older

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A Journey of Discovery Our experiences

• New partnerships
• Revisiting community
• Challenging existing models of health care
• Hearing about the importance of language
• Doing and being

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Lessons to take forwards

• Complexities of taking the first step
• Practicalities
• Continue to challenge preconceptions about what
  growing older means
• Older people hold many of the answers
• Danger of limiting lives of older people the
  story of Jean

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References

• Clark F, Azen S, Zemke, R, Jackson, J, Carlson,
  M, Mandel, D, Hay, J Josephson, K, Cherry, B
  Hessel, C, Palmer J and Lipson, L (1997)
  Occupational Therapy for independent older living
  adults a randomised controlled trial. Journal
  of the American Medical Association, 278,
  1321-1326

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To contact us

• Dr. Gail Mountain, Director of Centre for Health
  and Social Care Research Sheffield Hallam
  University Tel [phone]
• E-mail g.a.mountain_at_shu.ac.uk
• Claire Craig, Senior Lecturer and Researcher,
  Sheffield Hallam University Tel [phone]
• E-mail c.craig_at_shu.ac.uk
• Or do visit our website at www.lifestylematters.in
  fo

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Lifestyle Matters Goes to Europe

• Participating Countries-
• Belgium
• Georgia
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• The UK England and Scotland

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Project Aims

• To develop culturally relevant versions of a
  lifestyle redesign manual for each of the
  participating countries
• To involve older people and occupational
  therapists in the validation of the content of
  country specific manuals
• To use the work as a basis for exchange regarding
  in occupation across different countries

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Project Aims cont

• To develop a comparative study of the use of
  lifestyle redesign for older people across Europe
  
• To use the process and outcomes of the work to
  develop a range of materials for undergraduate
  and post graduate occupational therapy education
  across Europe
•  

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What have we achieved so far?

• An abstract accepted for the WFOT conference,
  Sydney 2006
• First draft produced of a comparative paper by
  all partners The Ageing Population in Six
  European Countries How should occupational
  therapy respond?
• Progress made with individual goals in each of
  the participating countries

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Progress in the Netherlands

• Cooperation between the three Dutch Hogenscholen
• Involvement of the professional body
• Congress in November 2005 in partnership with
  Belgium

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Next Steps

• Produce map of existing preventive programmes
• Ask experts in gerontology and older people to
  comment upon a description of the intended
  programme
• Make preparations for the pilot