Setting handicap goals with elderly people: a pilot study of the Life Strengths Interview

Objective: To assess whether the Life Strengths Interview (LSI) is a useful clinical framework to identify handicap goals. Design: Clinical case studies. Settings: Two elderly care rehabilitation hospitals. Subjects: Five people, whose ages ranged from 73 to 90 years. All participants were aware of their likely resultant disability, scored 25+ out of a possible 30 with the Mini-Mental State Examination, were able to communicate effectively and were due to be discharged home in approximately one month. Interventions: Each participant undertook the LSI process with the research occupational therapist. Main outcome measures: Identified rehabilitation goals and their achievement. Results: Goals were focused around families and other support networks. Six to eight weeks following discharge, achievement of goals varied. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that the LSI may be a useful clinical framework but further research needs to investigate whether a modified clinical version may be more suitable.