Motivational Interviewing to Improve Advance Care Planning for Older Adults and Their Caregivers After Emergency Room Visits

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate how well a motivational interviewing MI program helps older adults and their family caregivers with advance care planning ACP after visiting the Emergency Room ER within the past six months. The study focuses on whether this MI-based ACP approach increases the rate of completing advance directives AD compared to a self-education booklet. Older adults and their caregivers are the main participants, and the trial includes a comparison between those receiving MI education and those using self-learning materials. Participants are divided into groups one group of older adults and family caregiver pairs will receive three MI counseling sessions designed to match their readiness to engage in ACP. These sessions include a short preparatory meeting followed by two longer motivational and planning sessions. Another group will receive only an educational booklet for self-study. Older adults without a family caregiver will receive the MI intervention alone. The intervention is delivered over weeks with follow-ups planned at 3, 6, and 12 months after the sessions. During the study, researchers will measure how prepared older adults and caregivers feel about ACP, their emotional responses, decisional conflicts, agreement on end-of-life care goals, completion of advance directives, and health service use. These assessments take place before the intervention and at three follow-up points. Additionally, interviews will explore participants and stakeholders experiences and views on the interventions relevance and effectiveness. The total study period includes these multiple assessments to closely monitor outcomes and experiences related to advance care planning.

Motivational Interviewing to Enhance Advance Care Planning for Older Adults and Caregivers After Emergency Visits