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CompletedNCT02043262Updated Jun 3, 2016

The Effectiveness of Reablement in Home Dwelling Older Adults. A Randomized Controlled Trial

An interventional study of Reablement and Standard treatment in Physical Disability, sponsored by Frode F. Jacobsen. Completed at 2 sites in Norway. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2016-06-03.

Sponsored by Frode F. Jacobsen · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
61
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether a special kind of rehabilitation offered to home-dwelling older adults is effective with regards to functional ability and municipal costs.

Read the detailed description

Early detection of functional decline among home dwelling older adults and immediate onset of rehabilitation, can improve function, and reduce or delay need for home-based assistance and nursing home placement. Towards year 2050 there will be a significant increase in number of elderly persons in Norway, with an urgent need for new models for early intervention and rehabilitation in order to give service to a larger amount of elderly persons. Reablement is a new and promising rehabilitation model which many Norwegian municipalities are implementing in order to meet current and future needs for municipal home-based services. However, very little research has been conducted regarding the effectiveness of this intervention. This study aims at assessing the effectiveness of reablement in terms of daily functioning and economic costs compared to standard home-based treatment and care.

The study will be conducted in the municipality of Voss in Western Norway, a municipality with only 14000 inhabitants. It is a double-blinded, block-randomized controlled intervention trial, recruiting home-dwelling older adults with an initial functional decline in daily activities. The intervention is intensive, multidisciplinary, home-based rehabilitation given by home-trainers, under supervision from an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist. The control intervention is standard home-based treatment and care.

Thirty participants will be recruited in each arm of the study. The participants will be assessed at baseline, and at 3-, and 9 months follow-up. Primary outcomes will be participation, activity, and municipal expenditures. Costs are generated by the working hours of the different professions. Hence, there will be a daily registration of the working hours different health care professions spend in the private homes of the participants.

Power calculations based on study with a similar target group using the instrument Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, estimate a need for only 21 participants in each group due to the longitudinal design. However, in order to account for possibilities of frailer target group or a large drop out rate (40 %), a total number of 30 participants in each group will be tried recruited. Data analyses will be performed according to intention to treat. The working hour data is panel data and will be analyzed accordingly; a random or a mixed effect regression model will be employed. Also, descriptive statistics and simpler tests will be carried out.

02

Conditions studied

  • Physical Disability

Keywords

  • Elderly
  • Home-based rehabilitation
  • Activities of daily living
  • Restorative care
  • Reablement
  • Everyday rehabilitation
03

In context

Lead sponsor

Frode F. Jacobsen is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Home-dwelling person
  • Applicant of home-based services
  • Above 18 years old
  • Functional decline in at least one activity
  • Able to understand written and oral Norwegian

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Cognitive disability
  • Terminal ill
  • Being assessed as needing nursing home placement
  • Being assessed as needing institution-based rehabilitation
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
61 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Reablement

    Reablement is an intensive, multidisciplinary, client-centered, home-based type of rehabilitation, where ordinary activities of daily living are used for rehabilitative purposes. It is a rehabilitation alternative that may be offered to older adults, although there is no lower age limit. An occupational therapist and physical therapist, or nurse, constitutes the key personal, while home helpers, assistants and others with lower education, are the ones who work rehabilitative with the older person on a daily basis focusing on self-help.

    Behavioral: Reablement

  • Active comparator
    Standard treatment

    This arm consists of the standard treatment home-dwelling elderly persons receive when applying for home-based help. Some elderly may receive home-based nursing or home help services assisting them in daily activities, while others may receive occupational therapy or physical therapy measures for rehabilitative purposes.

    Behavioral: Standard treatment

Interventions

  • BehavioralReablement

    The intervention deals with improving function in daily activities the person defines as important in the areas of self-care, productivity and leisure.

    Also known as: Hverdagsrehabilitering, Hemrehabilitering, Re-ablement, Restorative care

  • BehavioralStandard treatment

    The control intervention is standard home-based treatment/care in Norway.

    Also known as: Usual care, Treatment as usual

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Canadian Occupational Performance Measure

    Activity and participation will be measured using Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) The COPM is a measure of a client's self-perception of occupational performance in the areas of self-care, productivity and leisure. Outcome measures for the COPM are: the client's most important problems in occupational performance and a total score of performance and a total score of satisfaction for these problems.

    Time frame: Baseline

  2. Canadian Occupational Performance Measure

    Activity and participation will be measured using Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) The COPM is a measure of a client's self-perception of occupational performance in the areas of self-care, productivity and leisure.

    Time frame: 3 months

  3. Canadian Occupational Performance Measure

    Activity and participation will be measured using Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) The COPM is a measure of a client's self-perception of occupational performance in the areas of self-care, productivity and leisure.

    Time frame: 9 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Expenditure

    Municipal expenditures will be recorded daily for nine months. Costs will be recorded in accordance with the operating hours of the different health care professions in the private homes of the participants. The control group will be assessed for amount of municipal home-based help at 15 months follow-up.

    Time frame: Daily from baseline to 9 months.

  2. Expenditure

    The control group will be assessed for amount of municipal home-based help at 15 months follow-up.

    Time frame: 15 months follow-up

Other outcomes

  1. Timed Up and Go

    Mobility will be measured using "The Timed Up and Go" (TUG). This is a simple, clinical performance-based measure of lower extremity function, mobility and fall risk. Normative data exists.

    Time frame: Baseline

  2. COOP/Wonka

    COOP/Wonka is a generic patient oriented instrument covering the domains of physical fitness, feelings, daily activities, social activities, change in health and overall health.

    Time frame: Baseline

  3. Dynamometer

    Hand strength will be measured with a hydraulic hand dynamometer. Normative grip strength data exists.

    Time frame: Basline

  4. Timed Up and Go

    Mobility will be measured using "The Timed Up and Go" (TUG). This is a simple, clinical performance-based measure of lower extremity function, mobility and fall risk.

    Time frame: 3 months

  5. Timed Up and Go

    Mobility will be measured using "The Timed Up and Go" (TUG). This is a simple, clinical performance-based measure of lower extremity function, mobility and fall risk.

    Time frame: 9 months

  6. COOP/Wonka

    COOP/Wonka is a generic patient oriented instrument covering the domains of physical fitness, feelings, daily activities, social activities, change in health and overall health.

    Time frame: 3 months

  7. COOP/Wonka

    COOP/Wonka is a generic patient oriented instrument covering the domains of physical fitness, feelings, daily activities, social activities, change in health and overall health.

    Time frame: 9 months

  8. Dynamometer

    Hand strength will be measured with a hydraulic hand dynamometer.

    Time frame: 3 months

  9. Dynamometer

    Hand strength will be measured with a hydraulic hand dynamometer.

    Time frame: 9 months

07

Study locations

2 sites
  • Bergen University College
    Bergen, 5009, Norway
  • Municpality of Voss
    Bergen, 5701, Norway
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Tuntland H, Aaslund MK, Espehaug B, Forland O, Kjeken I. Reablement in community-dwelling older adults: a randomised controlled trial. BMC Geriatr. 2015 Nov 4;15:145. doi: 10.1186/s12877-015-0142-9. PubMed 26537789 ↗
  • Tuntland H, Espehaug B, Forland O, Hole AD, Kjerstad E, Kjeken I. Reablement in community-dwelling adults: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMC Geriatr. 2014 Dec 18;14:139. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-14-139. PubMed 25519828 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 3, 2016, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02043262
Lead sponsor
Frode F. Jacobsen
Collaborators
University of Bergen, Diakonhjemmet Hospital
Responsible party
Frode F. Jacobsen (Professor, Bergen University College) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Jan 23, 2014
Start date
May 2012
Primary completion
Jun 2015
Completion
Jun 2016
Last update
Jun 3, 2016

Study contacts

Frode Fa Jacobsen, PhD
study chair · Bergen University College

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Jun 2016. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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