The Scottish national LifeCurve™ survey: costs of functional decline, opportunities to achieve early intervention to support well-being in later life, and meaningfulness of the LifeCurve

• Published in: Public health (London) 2020-03, Vol.180, p.129-135
• Main Authors: Kelso, S., Mitchell, S., Rowe, P.J., Gore, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; Aging; Alternative approaches; Children; Colleges & universities; Commissioning; Community health; Community mental health services; Costs; Data analysis; Diagnostic systems; Division; Early intervention; Encryption; Functional decline; Functional impairment; Guardianship; Health care; Health care expenditures; Health information; Health literacy; Health services; Healthy ageing; Information services; Innovations; Inpatient care; Language; Medical personnel; Mental health; Mental health services; Missing data; Morality; Occupational therapy; Pattern analysis; Polls & surveys; Prevention; Privacy; Questions; Rehabilitation; Social services; Speech; Therapists; Training; Trajectories; Uniqueness; Well being; Wellbeing; Young adults; Youth
• ISSN: 0033-3506; 1476-5616
• DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2019.10.014

The aim of the Scottish AHP LifeCurve™ survey was to gather a snapshot of where people are on their LifeCurve™ when receiving allied health professions (AHP) services and to understand the cost consequence of intervening ‘late’ in the ageing trajectory. The objectives were to promote discussion around preventing functional decline, support innovation in service delivery, and facilitate broader engagement with individuals, communities, and wider environments for improving health and well-being in later life. In addition, subsequent learning could help address the increasing resource gap between the demand and capacity across health and social care. The survey was paper-based in the form of a printed booklet, which contained the 15 activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL) which comprise the LifeCurve™ with additional lifestyle questions and information about the member of staff and service the participant was seen in, including their Community Health Index (CHI) number. The survey questions and booklet layout were tested over a five-month period with AHPs and people receiving AHP services. Liaison with national health literacy colleagues and lead speech and language therapists ensured that the survey material was accessible to a wide range of people. In addition, the survey could be made available in alternative formats, on request. Agreement to undertake the national survey was obtained in November 2016 by all AHP directors and associate directors who appointed communication support leads in their area who would support implementation at all stages at a local level. All materials relating to the survey were published on a dedicated area of a community of practice to support awareness and training during the preimplementation phase. AHPs working in adult services were asked to complete a survey with a minimum of two people they would ‘typically’ see in their service during a two-week period in May 2017, with the exclusion of people who were too unwell to participate, children and young people under 16 years, and adults with incapacity and without a guardianship arrangement in place. Approval was gained from the Public Benefit Privacy Panel to link the survey data to participants' health service usage using their CHI number. Completed forms were returned to the University of Strathclyde for entry into an encrypted electronic database using a double data entry process and were allocated a unique identifier. The unique identifier and CHI num