Evidence-based reablement approaches

Evidence-based reablement interventions are essential for aged care delivery as they promote independence, person-centred care, and quality care for older people. Reablement programs that draw on high quality evidence-based interventions can benefit aged care workers, older people and their families. [1] The evidence themes on rehabilitation, reablement and restorative care provided on the ARIIA site provide summaries that may assist you to integrate evidence into your care. 

When integrating reablement into an aged care service, consider the evidence available to support an approach. You might start by looking for:

• Research studies – have research studies specifically focused on reablement in aged care been published? Research studies can be variable in their quality, so searching for randomised controlled trials, or systematic reviews may provide you with higher-quality evidence.  
• Best practice initiatives – are there best practice initiatives or programs developed by reputable providers available? These initiatives often combine research with expert opinion to provide practical recommendations for improving care. 
• Evidence based guidelines – are there evidence-based guidelines available from professional organisations or government bodies? These guidelines are based on reviews of the available research and provide recommendations for best practice in aged care.  
• Cochrane reviews – are there Cochrane reviews available to support reablement in your aged care context? These reviews are known for their high methodological standards and can be used to support evidence-based practice.

You may find the following resources useful to support reablement in your aged care service:

• Practical guide for embedding wellness and reablement into service delivery
• Wellness and reablement in the home care sector
• New ways of restoring and supporting the independence of older people
• Staff experiences of a reablement approach to care for older people in a regional Australian community: A qualitative study
• Time‐limited home‐care reablement services for maintaining and improving the functional independence of older adults

Want to know more? 

If you require more information on the reablement approach and how to implement it in aged care: 

1. Look through the short learning module on ‘What is evidence in aged care’ on the Knowledge and Implementation Hub.
2. Read about how evidence can be used to change organisational and individual practices at our page on Implementation approaches 
3. Look for research evidence within the PubMed database by using one of the PubMed searches provided here. PubMed contains brief information (‘citations’) on millions of research studies. It can therefore be challenging to search. Our librarian has made finding highly relevant information on this topic as simple as a click of a button. Click on All to see everything in the database on the topic or choose Full text to view only articles immediately available to you free of charge in full text.