PD984 - EFFECTS ON CARE-GIVER TIME AND COSTS BY AN EXERCISE AND NUTRITION INTERVENTION IN OLDER CARE HOME RESIDENTS – SECONDARY ANALYSES FROM THE OPEN STUDY

PD984

EFFECTS ON CARE-GIVER TIME AND COSTS BY AN EXERCISE AND NUTRITION INTERVENTION IN OLDER CARE HOME RESIDENTS – SECONDARY ANALYSES FROM THE OPEN STUDY

A.-M. Boström^1,2,*, T. Cederholm³, G. F. Irving¹, E. Franzén¹, H. Grönstedt⁴, Å. Seiger¹, S. Vikström¹, A. Wimo¹

¹NVS, Karolinska Institutet, ²R&D, Stockholms Sjukhem, Stockholm, ³Uppsala University, Uppsala, ⁴Rehab, Karolinska University hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Rationale: Residents in care homes (CH) often display malnutrition, sarcopenia and frailty. The Older Persons Exercise and Nutrition (OPEN) randomized study that combined sit-to-stand exercises and a protein supplementation for 3 months indicated maintained chair rise capacity and muscle mass increase in per protocol analyses. This secondary analysis focused on caregiver time (CGT). We hypothesized that the intervention resulted in lower costs.

Methods: The OPEN study was performed in eight CHs in Stockholm, including 102 residents (mean age 86 yrs, intervention group (IG) n=52, control group (CG) n=50. CGT was assessed by the Resource Utilization in Dementia instrument. Costs and outcomes were analyzed on the principle of cost-consequence analysis. The major cost-driver; i.e., CGT as well as the costs for the protein-rich ONS were included in the analyses. Non-linear methods were applied due to skewed data.

Results: CGT in the IG was significantly lower at the 3-mo follow-up, adjusted for baseline CGT, in the dementia units, i.e., 55 min/day/resident, compared to 83 min/day in the CG (odds ratio 0.668 [0.473-0.945]; p=0.022). In the somatic units no change was observed.

Weight increased more in the IG dementia unit compared with the CG (+2.27 kg and +0.12 kg, respectively; p=0.021). Simultaneously, the costs were lower; i.e., 18,637 SEK (10 SEK=~1 Euro) vs. 23,639 SEK per individual (p=0.049) at the dementia units. There were no significant differences in CGT or costs between IG and CG in the whole sample or at the somatic units.

Conclusion: The 3-month OPEN exercise and nutrition intervention, beneficial for nutritional status and chair rise capacity, indicating cost-effectiveness, particularly in the dementia units. The reduction in CGT led to cost savings that surpassed staff expenditures and nutritional supplementation.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared