JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Foster families (1 to 3 people per family) for dependent older people could be a viable alternative to nursing homes. The aim of the Karukera Study of Ageing in Foster Families (KASAF) is to study the care pathways of dependent elderly people in foster care over a year.

Objective:

The main objective will be to obtain the annual rate of hospitalisation in this setting. The secondary objectives will be to assess hospitalisations costs, the incidence of mortality, the prevalence of geriatric syndromes, as well as the quality of life of residents and foster caregiver burnout.

Methods:

As a prospective, longitudinal cohort study, KASAF will include 250 people, aged 60 and older, and living in foster families in Guadeloupe. All participants will be followed for a year, with a baseline visit, an intermediate visit at 6 months and a final visit at 1 year. We will collect anthropometric measures, information on general health status and care pathways (hospitalization, medical and paramedical consultations), as well as data on medical history, nutritional status, and physical frailty. Cognitive impairment, depressive and anxiety symptoms will also be assessed along with functional abilities (mobility, instrumental activities of daily living and activities of daily living). A systematic update of vital status (death) and care pathway will be carried out at each follow-up. Additional information on the residents’ living status and potential hospitalizations will be collected after 3 and 9 months. Finally, foster caregivers will be interviewed at inclusion, after 6 months and after a year to assess their own quality of life and burnout symptoms.

Results:

In total, 109 elderly people from 56 foster families were enrolled. The one-year follow-up was ended in June 2022. Data analyses are ongoing and expected to be published in December 2022.

Conclusions:

Foster families are a potentially innovative way to accommodate dependent older people, and have never been formally assessed, the most robust results dating back to thirty years. In theory, it is less expensive than nursing homes for the community, but in the absence of scientific studies on the associated health outcomes (number of hospitalisations, deaths, etc.), this model has not been validated and remains rare in metropolitan France or other countries. Beyond mortality and morbidity, the numerous outcomes will allow to assess the evolution of geriatric syndromes over time. Clinical Trial: NCT04545775