Health Promotion Practice Among Older Persons: A Nordic Multi-Professional Focus Group Study Exploring what It Is and How It Could be Achieved

Abstract

The growing ageing population in the Nordic region calls for increased focus on health promotion work. To enhance multi-professional understanding and further develop strategies for promoting healthy ageing, it is vital to consider the perspectives of those working with health promotion. The aim of this study was to explore a wide spectrum of practitioners’ experiences of community-level health promotion targeting older adults in Finland and Sweden. Nine focus group interviews (34 informants) were conducted in 2019–2020. “Seeing the person” emerged as the ideal for health promotion targeting older adults, but this ideal was not always realized in current practice. Barriers related to organizational structures and the practitioner role were identified. However, work methods connected to user involvement and technology-based tools were considered key facilitators, enabling tailored health promotion initiatives.

Older Adults’ Experiences With Participation and eHealth in Care Coordination: Qualitative Interview Study in a Primary Care Setting

“…Knowledge, confidence, and support from health care professionals and family members are factors that can enable the participation of home-living older adults in coordinating their care and their use of eHealth [ 21 ]. However, when supporting older adults’ needs, health care professionals have found it challenging to incorporate older adults’ health preferences [ 27 , 29 ]. Care coordination programs or interventions alone are insufficient to ensure the reduced use of health care [ 9 ].…”