DOI: 10.3886/icpsr36979
title: Advanced Planning for Home Services for Seniors (APHS) in Four Cities in the U.S. Midwest, Northeast, and Southwest, 2014-2015
title: Archival Version

description: The Advanced Planning for Home Services for Seniors (APHS) in Four Cities in the U.S. Midwest, Northeast, and Southwest, 2014-2015 study contains data collected in the APHS Randomized Controlled Trial of the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN (PYL) online tool. Through partnerships with seniors, senior community groups, area agencies on aging, and homecare agencies, the Advanced Planning for Home Services for Seniors (APHS) study sought to conduct a randomized controlled trial of the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool to determine subject understanding of home care services, advanced health planning, and other patient-centered outcomes. The trial was conducted from October 2014 to September 2015, in Chicago, Illinois, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Houston, Texas. The APHS study is made up of a two-armed (attention control and intervention), parallel, randomized controlled trial. Participants were first given a baseline questionnaire, and then underwent randomization to either arm of the trial. Individuals were randomly assigned to one of two interventions in this trial: attention control or the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool. If randomized to receive the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool, subjects were introduced to the PYL tool and given instructions on how to use it. The PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool is a Web-based planning tool that provides information for seniors related to advanced health planning for home services in specific content areas of: hospitalizations, falls, Alzheimer's, dementia, as well as communicating with others. Participants randomized to the attention control group went through an educational website on activities relevant to seniors. The educational website was sponsored by the National Institute on Aging and has comparable design and layout to PYL but does not include information about advanced planning. A minimum of 15 min and a maximum of 45 min was allotted for navigating either website. After the allotted time, participants were administered an immediate post-test survey. One and three months after the face-to-face encounter, staff contacted participants over the phone to complete a follow-up survey. The aim of the assessments given to participants was to determine whether the PYL web based tool affected the following behaviors relating to about future preferences for hospitalizations, falls, and Alzheimer's/memory loss: Planning behavior and communication of plans Perception of importance of planning Confidence in accessing home services These outcome measures were assessed at baseline, one month, and three months. Demographic information collected in this study includes sex, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, living arrangements, health status, education, employment, income, and religion.
description: The Advanced Planning for Home Serivces for Seniors (APHS) study had three aims: 1) To develop, pilot test, and refine the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool to assist seniors in making informed choices about issues in their health trajectory that influence their ability to remain in their own home, 2) to conduct a randomized, controlled trial of the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool to determine the tool's influence on subject understanding of home care services, health trajectory, and other patient-centered outcomes compared with an attention control, and 3) to disseminate the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool nationally through senior-focused organizations.
description: Participants were sorted into one of two categories for a ranomized controlled trial. Individuals were randomly assigned to the interventions using a pre-generated central radomization list which used equal allocation and a random permuted block design to ensure relatively equal allocation through the study. Participants not sorted into the intervention group were part of the attention control group, meant to control for the effect of regular contact with the study team on participant outcomes. These participants interacted with an educational website sponsored by the National Institute on Aging containing information about activity and execise relavant to seniors, but which did not include information on advanced plannig. The group which participated in the intervention, were introduced to the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool and instructions for it's use. This tool was designed to provide information for seniors related to advanced health planning for home services in a specific content areas such as: hospitalizations, fall, Alzheimer's, dementia, and communicating with others. Participants navigated and completed the Web-based PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN tool. Both websites were interactive and comprable, and participants spent between 15 and 45 minutes engaging with either. Upon completing these tasks participants were given a post-tool survey. Participant data was collected at baseline via the in-person survey, and at a one month, three month, and optional 6+ month follow-ups via telephone interview.
description: The data in this collection are not weighted.
description: Presence of Common Scales: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, Clinician and Group Adult 12-Month English Survey 2.0 (CGCAHPS) 36-Item Short Form (SF-36) Health Survey Version 2 Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ) Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) International Restless Legs Study Group Rating Scale (IRLS)
description: An initial brief phone screening was administered to introduce the study and identify eligible participants. Eligible idividuals were then scheduled for the in-person study interview. Inclusion criteria were as follows: age 65 and older, English-speaking, scoring four or more questions correctly on the Brief Cognitive Screen, and current self-reported use of a computer or smartphone with internet. Participants were excluded if they had previously participated in focus groups or beta testing related to the development of the PLAN YOUR LIFESPAN website. Participants deemed ineligible during the phone screening were not provided with information regarding the in-person study. A total of 470 individuals were deteremed to be eligible for participation, and 385 participants participated in the randomized groups. For the extended 6+ month follow-up survey, a recruitment letter was mailed out to all enrolled study participants at least 6 months after completing their baseline interview. Participants were given the option to either "opt out" from participating in this additional phone survey or to agree to complete this additional survey.
description: Datasets:
description: Nonhospitalized adults age 65 and older living in urban, suburban, and rural areas of Texas, Illinois, and Indiana.
description: mail questionnaire; mixed mode; on-site questionnaire; telephone interview; web-based surveyAdditional information about the Advanced Planning for Home Services for Seniors (APHS) in Four Cities in the U.S. Midwest, Northeast, and Southwest, 2014-2015 study can be found on the PCORI project websiteThese data are being released for demonstration only - do not cite.This study was used during the pilot phase of the PCODR archive, but was not selected for inclusion in the repository. The data is not available from ICPSR. For more information about the Patient-Centered Outcomes Data Repository, please visit the PCODR website.