Impact of a Geriatric Day Hospital Program on Older Adults’ Functional Independence and Caregiver Stress: A Non-Experimental, Single Group Pre-/Posttest Study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a geriatric day hospital program on older adults' functional independence and on caregiver stress. Methods: We used a single group pre- and posttest design. The data were collected through chart reviews and follow-up phone calls. Outcomes included fear of falling, balance, functional exercise capacity (walking distance), and caregiver stress. Descriptive statistics were used for sociodemographic data, dependent t test for paired samples of normally distributed data, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test for determining differences between nonnormally distributed data sets. Results: We found a statistically significant difference in pre (33.54) and post (27.47) mean rank scores for fear of falling (Z = -3.895, P < .001), pre (49.5) and post (59.42) scores for balance (Z = -8.725, P < .001), and pre (250.07 m) and post (291.20 m) for functional exercise capacity (P < .001). No statistically significant difference was found with respect to caregiver stress pre (22.05) and post (19.90) scores (Z = -0.422, P = .673). Discussion: Future research may consider approaching evaluative studies of a similar type using not only quantitative but also qualitative methods to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of older adults' functional ability and caregiver stress before and after participating in a geriatric day hospital program.