THE FRENCH VERSION OF THE LIFESTYLE REDESIGN® INTERVENTION: VALIDATION FOR FRENCH-SPEAKING OLDER ADULTS

Background: Developed in the United States to enable community-dwelling older adults integrate meaningful, healthy and sustainable activities, the Lifestyle Redesign® (Clark et al., 2001; 2012) is a well-known cost effective... [ view full abstract ]

Background: Developed in the United States to enable community-dwelling older adults integrate meaningful, healthy and sustainable activities, the Lifestyle Redesign® (Clark et al., 2001; 2012) is a well-known cost effective Occupational Therapy intervention. Recently translated into French, the effects of this new version is unknown. This study aims to explore the effects of this version of Lifestyle Redesign® on French-speaking seniors.
Method: A mixed-method embedded pre-experimental design was used with two groups of older adults, nine with, and ten without, moderate disabilities. Validated questionnaires on social participation, health and quality of life, engagement in meaningful activities and life balance as well as semi-structured interviews were conducted.
Results: Participants (13 women/19), aged 66 to 97, had various disabilities and were mainly living at home. Preliminary results indicate that the French Lifestyle Redesign® helped them resume, maintain, explore and experiment with meaningful activities. The intervention also increased their psychological and physical well-being, feelings of control, connectedness, self-esteem and motivation to accomplish activities. Further analysis will explore the effects over time of the intervention on participants’ social participation, health and quality of life, engagement in meaningful activities and life balance as well as their appreciation of this intervention.
Conclusion: The French Lifestyle Redesign® is a promising intervention that opens new opportunities for French-speaking older adults to integrate meaningful activities and enhance the social component of their lives.
Application to Practice: This intervention will offer French-speaking occupational therapists an innovative and rigorous intervention to promote meaningful, healthy and sustainable activities among French-speaking older adults.