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Reviewing the reablement approach to caring for older people

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2019

Daniel Doh Open the ORCID record for Daniel Doh [Opens in a new window] ,
Ricki Smith  and
Paula Gevers
Daniel Doh*
Affiliation:
Access Care Network Australia, Osborne Park, Western Australia, Australia
Ricki Smith
Affiliation:
Access Care Network Australia, Osborne Park, Western Australia, Australia
Paula Gevers
Affiliation:
The Smith Family, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

In this paper we tell of our critical review of reablement – an emerging global practice model in community- and home-based care for older people. Whereas the reablement approach is gaining global acceptance, there are questions and concerns among researchers and policy makers about what reablement means and how it is used in practice. We examined the literature on reablement between 2005 and 2017 using clearly defined inclusion criteria. We focused on identifying within authors’ accounts its essential features and how it is practised. In our examination of conceptualisation, we found nine essential features of reablement, the most predominant being the wish to improve the functionality of clients so they can continue to live in their own homes. Of course, we found variability in policy and geographic contexts, but we were not perturbed by this. Rather, we found the under-representation of social connectivity for clients to be regrettable. We constructed a typology of four theoretical types of reablement to help us reflect on the current state of research and practice, and we tentatively offer this for the consideration of the research, practice and policy communities.

Keywords

reablementolder peoplefunctionalitysocial connectivity
Type
Review Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 40 , Issue 6 , June 2020 , pp. 1371 - 1383
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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