Towards proactive care for potentially frail older people in general practice : Development, feasibility, and effectiveness of the [G]OLD preventive home visitation programme

Ensuring that the elderly can live independently at home for as long as possible is central to Dutch healthcare policy. This is pursued by [G]OUD, Gezond Oud in Limburg (Healthy Ageing in Limburg). By making preventative home visits to people over the age of 75, general practitioners can identify vulnerability at an early stage and arrange for the right support in terms of healthcare and wellbeing. This dissertation describes the development, the practical feasibility, and the effectiveness of [G]OUD. Despite the enthusiastic response from GP practices and elderly people, this approach has yet to make a demonstrable impact on quality of life or on the self-reliance of elderly people. This can be attributed to, among other things, the high level of care in the Netherlands and the fact that most of the research participants were relatively healthy. As a result, the study did not assess the intended target group: vulnerable elderly people. More attention is needed in order to better align and coordinate elderly care.