Research News

MODS - Managing Multiple Health Conditions in Older Adults

Get up to speed with MODS (Managing Multiple Health Conditions in Older Adults), a large programme of research funded by the National Institute for Health Research, which aims to develop and evaluate a brief psychological intervention to support older adults with multiple long-term physical health conditions and low mood or depression.

The intervention is based on Behavioural Activation, delivered within a framework of collaborative care, and aims to improve both physical and mental health functioning in adults 65 years and over.

Behavioural Activation is a type of talking therapy which aims to help people maintain or introduce activities which are important to them. Such activities may benefit their physical and emotional wellbeing, by helping them to stay connected with the world and remain active.

They have recently completed Work Stream 1 which involved the development and refinement of the intervention and related study materials. They conducted semi-structured interviews with older adults (who have a combination of physical and mental healthcare needs), a range of healthcare professionals (such as psychologists, geriatricians and GPs) and caregivers who provide care and support for this population.

They held a number of Consensus Groups consisting of a range of stakeholders. The interview findings were discussed in order to reach consensus on important aspects of the intervention. For example, who should deliver it, and how should it be modified for people with long term health conditions. They also worked with our Patient and Public Involvement Advisory Group to get feedback on the intervention and our recruitment materials (e.g. Participant Information Sheet).

They then delivered prototypes of the intervention to two small groups of participants (Case Series). This allowed us to further refine the intervention and associated study materials for use in Work Stream 2 (a pilot randomised controlled trial). They are now moving into Work Stream 2 which will involve recruiting 100 older adults from GP practices across York, Leeds and the North East.

The study is being led by the Mental Health and Addiction Research Group and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust (TEWV) in collaboration with York Trials Unit, the Universities of Leeds, Keele and Manchester, Age UK and the MODS Patient & Public Involvement Advisory Group.

Keep up to date with MODS Research on:

Twitter: @MODS_Research_

Website: https://sites.google.com/nihr.ac.uk/mods/home