Program overview
Building late-life resilience: EMPOWER is an in-home intervention that provides older adults with the knowledge and resources to be safe and healthy throughout the aging process. EMPOWER participants are more likely to know valuable financial wellness, physical safety, and social support information than their peers.
Implemented by Area Agencies on Aging: EMPOWER is implemented by local Area Agencies on Aging, which are offices established through the Older Americans Act that facilitate and support programs addressing the needs of older adults. EMPOWER’s aim is to reduce instances of elder abuse by increasing late-life resources and resilience.
Recruiting elder participants: EMPOWER recruits at-risk adults age 60+ who live alone. EMPOWER targets older adults who have been authorized by their local Area Agency on Aging to receive home and community-based services, like housekeeping and personal care, but remain on the waitlist for those services.
Meeting weekly with a caseworker: EMPOWER participants receive twelve 1-hour weekly in-home visits from a caseworker. Caseworkers begin with one-on-one assessments of participants’ knowledge of key aging topics. These topics include home safety, physical health, social connectedness, and emotional and financial wellbeing.
Providing participant-centered education: Following their assessments, caseworkers then facilitate motivational discussions on these topics, identifying participants’ goals. Caseworkers provide education on aging topics, and culminate each meeting with an action plan to support participants meeting their previously determined goals.
One study with a rigorous design provides some evidence for EMPOWER as a strategy for supporting late-life resilience among older adults.
- A 2022 randomized controlled trial found that EMPOWER participants were statistically significantly more likely to know (1) how to make their home safer and more secure, (2) who to contact with a physical health issue, (3) how to protect themselves against financial scams, and (4) how to connect with social support organizations, when compared to a control group of other older adults.
Expand program duration to support follow-up conversations: An evaluation of the EMPOWER program found that, although participants consistently reported increased knowledge on key aging topics, that they did not always have the opportunity to make life changes in support of their goals over the course of twelve weeks. When replicating the EMPOWER program, an organization may consider providing continued support to participants after the standard 12-week period.
Train staff to identify elder abuse: EMPOWER is designed with the aim of protecting older adults from elder abuse, but many participants may have already experienced it. Caseworkers should be trained to identify potential signs of elder abuse, and understand how to report suspected abuse to the local adult protective services agency or police.
Encourage social contact: The EMPOWER program teaches that social contact and support can be valuable to older adults. In addition, a greater social circle also makes elder abuse less likely and easier to spot. To expand participants’ social networks, caseworkers can help participants identify and participate in community-based activities, like physical activity programs, volunteer opportunities, or hobby-based groups. Caseworkers can also help older adults understand how to use technology to maintain social connections.
Identify supports for caregivers: Family members and other loved ones often serve as caregivers for older adults. However, these caregivers may not have sufficient caregiving knowledge, or may become burned out, which creates a risk of neglect for the older adult. While EMPOWER’s focus is on skill-building for older adults, caseworkers should also maintain resources in order to connect their clients’ caregivers to programs aimed at supporting their wellbeing.