Implementation of the CAPABLE Program With Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study explores the implementation and impact of an evidence-based client-driven program, CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place Advancing Better Living for Elders), during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study reviews outcomes related to client engagement and retainment, client-directed goals, therapeutic intervention, home modifications, and functional outcomes of older adult participants. The CAPABLE program addresses basic and instrumental activities of daily living, medication use, pain, mobility, fall prevention, and environmental modifications within the home. The services were provided by an interprofessional team which included an occupational therapist, a registered nurse, and home contractor professional. The study team utilized descriptive, paired t test, and correlational analyses to evaluate the CAPABLE programs’ influence on the functional outcomes of older adults living within the city of St. Louis, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study identified significant improvement in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) independence, readiness to change, self-reported health status, and depressive symptoms, and 11 significant correlations were found between age, implementation expenses, and functional outcomes.