Salutogenic Healthy Aging Program Embracement (SHAPE) for Elderly-only Households

Elderly residing in elderly-only households are more vulnerable as they are socially isolated, suffer from poorer health outcomes, and are less likely to adopt health-promoting behaviors. While multi-dimensional preventive home visits provide older adults with the individualized care to cope with living in their homes, group-based education promotes peer learning and allows for social interaction. Elderly residing in elderly-only households can reap the benefits derived from the coaction of preventive home visits and group-based education, providing them with the personalized care to age healthily in their homes and a platform to develop social connectedness with their peers. This study uses the combination of preventive home visit and group-based education program to promote healthy aging in elderly living in elderly-only households. Using a randomized controlled trial, the study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week health promotion and risk prevention program, named Salutogenic Healthy Aging Program Embracement (SHAPE) for elderly-only households. Participants in the experimental group will receive 2 home visits, 10-weekly group-based activity sessions and a SHAPE health-promotion booklet. A process evaluation using face-to-face interviews will also be conducted for elderly receiving SHAPE to explore their views on the program. The use of salutogenic model breaks away from the negatively connoted conventional biomedical model and addresses on optimization of positive health. Ultimately, the SHAPE intervention seeks to identify, equip and strengthen resources for elderly-only households, encouraging the adaption of health-promoting and risk-preventing actions to achieve better health outcomes and higher quality of life.