The Tree of Active Living Evaluation (TALE)

TALE tool is a community-based and client-centered assessment tool designed to guide clients to reflect their view, wishes and desires in ageing successfully. TALE is inspired by a well formulated dialogue tool called ‘my positive health’ (MPH) from the institute of positive health (IPH) based in the Netherlands (https://www.iph.nl/).

TALE is based on the idea that health and healthy ageing is not limited to the absence of infirmity nor to our ability to maintain a good physical, mental and psychosocial state. TALE is primarily based on the idea that the way we perceive our health is deeply rooted in our ability to adapt to the inherent and inevitable age-related change. Healthy ageing is often misunderstood as a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing which often contradicts with the reality of getting older. 

This notion of health at old age is at times the dominant narrative that enforces an unrealistic image of healthy ageing as staying younger. This particular perspective adds fuel to the negative connotations associated with ageing and makes it difficult for people to confront and discuss the idea of ageing. 

Ageing is an inherent and inevitable nature of our lives. It is clear that age related changes can put us at increased risk of diseases and disability. While embracing the inherent changes, old age is also a phase of life filled with lived experiences, wisdoms and skills of coping and adaptation. Healthy ageing should not be then taken as an attempt to look or stay younger instead it can be seen as an active engagement in acquiring the resources and developing the skills to cope and adapt with the physical, mental, psychological, social, and environmental changes that accompany old age. To avoid confrontation with the notion of ageing, we use a term called Active Living (AL) to describe the active engagement in coping and adapting to the inevitable changes related to ageing. 

TALE tool is designed to assess the above 8 domains of active living in older individuals. It is a tool that empowers older individuals to have a moment of self-review in all dimensions of health and life as a whole. 

Objectives

1. To Provide clients insight about healthy ageing and encourage self-reflection. 
2. To initiate dialogue on how clients are dealing with age-related changes in life. 
3. To identify self-perceived gap in active living and successful ageing 
4. Guide clients in the decision making process regarding their health.
5. To help informal care providers develop structured recommendations and interventions.
   
   

For whom? 
People aged 60 and above and who do not have critical and/or acute medical conditions.

TALE has 8 domains that are essential elements of successful and healthy ageing. 

1. Financial and environmental situation (FMS). 
2. Coping and Adaptation (CP). 
3. Physical Function (PF).
4. Psych-cognitive function (PCF). 
5. Activities of daily life (Daily function) (ADL).
6. Social and family life (SFL).  
7. Spirituality and purpose in life (SPL).  
8. Quality of life (QOL). 

The description of each domain is as follows.

1. Financial and environmental situation 

• Living environment safety and security, lighting of the rooms, stairs, and other obstacles that increase risk of fall. Availability of safety measures in the house and age friendly household tools. 
• Economic status in covering daily expenses and household costs.
  
  

​2. Coping and adaptation (CA)

• Accepting yourself
• Coping with age related changes
• Setting goals appropriate to one’s life situation
  
  

​3. Physical Function (PF)

• Physical condition
• Exercise and diet 
• Complaint or pain 
• Feeling healthy
• Feeling fit
• Sleep
  
  

4. Psycho-cognitive Function (PCF)

• Feeling good 
• Being in a pleasant/positive mood 
• Being cheerful
• Able to concentrate. 
• Able to communicate. 
• Able to remember things.  
  
  

5. Activities of daily life (ADL)

• Taking care of oneself 
• Managing basic daily activities (feeding, bathing, dressing, toileting, etc.)
• Managing household activities (cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, banking, etc.)
  
  

6. Social and family life (SFL)

• Social contacts
• Love 
• Connecting and bonding
• Engagement in the community 
• Interest in the society 
• Social validation and recognition 
  
  

7. Spirituality and purpose in life (SPL)

• Expressing or experiencing meaning in life 
• Maintaining purpose in life 
• Connecting with nature or humanity 
• Having Faith and/or hope 
• Finding inspirations in life
• Transcendence 
  
  

8. Quality of life (QOL)

• Life satisfaction 
• Feeling safe 
• Maintaining balance 
• Finding joy and happiness

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