Acceptance-based Self-care Intervention for Older Adults With Multimorbidity

The proposed 27-month three-arm parallel, repeated measure, randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate an acceptance-based self-care intervention for community-dwelling older adults with multimorbidity. A total of 306 participants aged ≥ 60 years and with multimorbidity will be recruited from elderly centers across Hong Kong, and randomly assigned to the acceptance-based self-care group (AG), self-care only group (SG), or control group. The control group will receive usual care only, whereas a 12-week program comprising four home visits and five telephone calls will be delivered to the SG and AG. Specially, acceptance-based interventions will be integrated into self-care activities for the AG. Primary outcome is self-care activities, measured by Self-rated Abilities for Health Practices. Secondary outcomes include perceived treatment burden, physical functioning, psychological wellbeing, quality of life, and healthcare use. Data will be collected at baseline and at 3, 6, and 9 months post-allocation to assess both the immediate and sustained effects.