Active health promotion in old age: methodology of a preventive intervention programme provided by an interdisciplinary health advisory team for independent older people

People live longer today and, therefore, have more opportunity to a quire non-fatal disabilities in old age. Disability in old age has multifactorial causes, including physiological, psychological and social risk factors. An innovative health promotion and prevention programme designed for elderly people was developed at the Albertinen-Haus Geriatrics Centre in Hamburg in 2001 and offered to residents of the city aged 60 years and over who were living in their own homes. Eligible individuals were independent, i.e. without disabilities (not in need of care or support according to the German health system’s categorization), and without cognitive impairment. The programme focuses on areas of health behaviour that are interrelated and target self-efficacy and empowerment. The programme used an interdisciplinary approach in group sessions. The team of health promotion advisers (Gesundheitsberater-Team) consisted of members of four professions, i.e. physician, social worker, physiotherapist, and nutrition and home economics specialist. We decided to work in group sessions because of the potential for positive dynamic effects between group participants and for reasons of cost. We also developed a curriculum to train professional members of interdisciplinary geriatric teams to work as health promotion advisers for elderly people.