Prioritizing reablement: What are the consequences for the other health- and social care services in the municipalities? - A comparative case study.

Project summary

Background: Reablement service has spread to many countries in a few years. Prioritizing reablement service imply dedicating resources for multidisciplinary team work. Implementing new services, actualize questions about allocation of resources and which consequences the service leads to for the regular home based caring and rehabilitation services. There is a lack of studies in Norway and internationally concerning what consequences implementing of reablement service have for other municipality health care services. This knowledge is important for politicians, health-and social services in the community and for health care personnel in reablement service. The aim of the study is to explore and describe the consequences of municipalities' priorities of reablement for other health-and social care services in the municipalities.

Research questions: How does the establishment and institutionalization of reablement affect the regular long-term services in the municipalities? What are the consequences of allocating resources to reablement for the regular home based caring and rehabilitation services?

Method

Method: A qualitative descriptive approach with comparative case studies. We will collect data through focus group discussions and document analysis. Participants in the focus group are health care personnel and leaders from three selected communities in Norway. Health care personnel is occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nurses, social educators and health care personnel, working with older persons living at home. The leaders are recruited from the home care, the service of occupational therapy and physiotherapy, the institution of rehabilitation, and municipal manager for health and care services. The data will be analyzed with qualitative content analysis approaches. In addition the tempirical data consists of key policy documents and plans between 2010-2018 related to reablement and long-term care in the three municipalities.   The documents will be analysed with an ideational approach building on “the what’s the problem approach” developed by Bacchi, and in an allocatitative perspective (what is less prioritized when reablement is highly prioritized).

Expected results/hypothesis: Allocation of resources to reablement service has consequences for the regular home based nursing and rehabilitation services. We expect to find that an enhanced focus on rehabilitation also in the regular services and an allocation of financial resources from traditional long-term services to more short-term rehabilitation services.

Results: The data collection is going on.