Motivational interviewing with the older adult

Abstract

Motivational interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based psychotherapeutic approach to health behavior change and has great potential to improve medical regimen adherence among the older population. This article provides a concise summary of MI as it can be applied to geriatric patient populations. The goal is to provide readers with an overview of MI, its clinical applications within psychological and medical settings and its adaptation for use with older individuals dealing with both mental health and general medical conditions. The article also discusses how varied systemic and therapeutic contexts (e.g., biomedical vs. psychological) may affect the meaning and implementation of MI. Although published randomized controlled studies on the effects of MI in the older population are limited, the majority of such studies indicates that MI is effective in influencing change in health behaviors. As a proven, cost-efficient treatment, MI should be considered for clinical use in geriatric and primary care clinics providing care to older adults.

Keywords::

• Empathy
• health behavior change
• primary care
• self-efficacy
• therapeutic alliance
• treatment adherence

Acknowledgements

This work was made possible by the Special Fellowship Program in Advanced Geriatrics at the Geriatrics Research, Education and Clinical Centers (GRECC), VA Palo Alto Health Care System, and by the Center for Health Care Evaluation, Health Services Research & Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.