ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Population aging is a worldwide phenomenon. It is estimated that by 2050, one of five persons will be aged ≥60 years. In Chile, 15.8% of the population is now aged ≥60 years, and this figure will reach 30.7% by 2050. In 2006, a national program was implemented to provide assistive devices to older adults aged ≥65 years with limited mobility or difficulty performing activities of daily living. To date, there have been no assessments of the program’s effectiveness. OBJECTIVE Assess the effectiveness of an assistive devices policy in Chile on improving functional capacity of older adults aged ≥65 years, and beneficiaries’ perceptions of the services received, including changes in their quality of life. METHODS This was a before–after longitudinal study. A cohort of 309 persons was recruited, consisting of patients who received care at a public hospital in Santiago, Chile during 2014–2015. They were assessed before delivery of assistive devices, then followed for seven months, with repeated evaluations made in their homes. The following indicators were measured: functional capacity (Tinetti scale and Barthel Index); changes in perceived quality of life related to use of assistive devices; and other sociodemographic, clinical and protocol-compliance variables. A longitudinal analysis of before–after progress was carried out, as well as a description of service delivery and medical followup. RESULTS Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed were women; median age was 74 years, average schooling was 6 years, and 93% had low income (monthly income <US$398). Assistive devices increased independence in activities of daily living, improved mobility and perceived quality of life, and decreased fall risk and pain. One hundred percent felt satisfied with the service received, 91% were trained in use of the device, and delivery deadlines were met in 83% of cases, but only 2% were followed up. One negative aspect is that the program covers only 25% of estimated need. CONCLUSIONS This assistive device program helps improve functional capacity and perceived quality of life in vulnerable patients who are able to access it. It addresses a real need and is highly valued by patients. Although delivery schedules were fulfilled, followup care schedules were not.

Antecedentes. La Rehabilitación Basada en Comunidad, en el caso de Chile, destaca por ser una política pública, de carácter estatal y asumida directamente por instancias gubernamentales, tales como el Ministerio de Salud de Chile-MINSAL y el Sistema Nacional de Discapacitados-SENADIS. De esta forma, la evaluación de la estrategia de RBC en Chile es necesaria desde el punto de vista programático por su impacto nacional o regional. Por lo anterior, y considerando que la estrategia de RBC en Chile comenzó a implementarse de forma vinculada a los centros de atención primaria desde el año 2008 sin haber sido evaluada aún al inicio del presente estudio (enero de 2011), a través de esta investigación se buscó evaluar, desde la perspectiva de la comunidad y los equipos locales de rehabilitación que implementan actualmente esta estrategia, los distintos niveles de intervención expresados principalmente a través de los componentes de intervención comunitaria y de gestión. Objetivo. El objetivo que guió esta investigación fue evaluar el impacto social percibido y la aceptabilidad social de la estrategia de rehabilitación de base comunitaria desde la perspectiva de la comunidad y los equipos locales de rehabilitación. Materiales y métodos. El marco metodológico fue definido bajo los parámetros de una investigación cualitativa de carácter descriptivo y transversal. El universo de estudio correspondió a las comunas que contaban con programas de RBC que se desarrollan a nivel nacional como parte de la política nacional de discapacidad y rehabilitación en salud. Los criterios que guiaron el proceso de muestreo fueron los de pertinencia y suficiencia de la información, por lo que se optó por un muestreo estructural. El procesamiento de los datos se realizó mediante el análisis de contenido semánticamente orientado, siguiendo una estrategia intensiva, es decir, se analizó toda la información producida durante la fase de terreno. Resultados. Los resultados dan cuenta de la RBC como una estrategia con variadas formas de implementación y desarrollo que se relaciona con la historia local, el perfil de la comunidad, del centro, de usuarios y las características de vinculación municipal con el programa de rehabilitación. Conclusiones. El estudio identifica, en la estrategia de RBC, tres modelos de acción: biomédico, biopsicosocial y comunitario.

Background. The Community-based rehabilitation, in the case of Chile, stands out as a public policy of government's agencies and assumed directly by governments authorities such as the Chilean Ministry of Health-MINSAL and the National System of Disabled People-SENADIS. Thus, the evaluation of the RBC strategy in Chile is needed from the programmatic point of view due to its national or regional impact. Based on the foregoing reasons, and considering that the RBC strategy in Chile began to be implemented linked to the primary care centers, since 2008, without having been assessed even at the beginning of the present study (January 2011), through this research it was sought to assess, from the perspective of the community and the local teams of rehabilitation that currently implement this strategy, the different levels of intervention mainly expressed through the components of communal intervention and management. Objective. Thus, the main purpose of this investigation was to assess the social impact perceived and the social acceptability of the CBR strategy from the perspective of the community and the local rehabilitation teams. Materials and Methods. The methodological framework was defined within the parameters of a qualitative study of descriptive and transversal nature. The study's universe corresponded to the municipalities that counted with the CBR programs that are being developed nation-wide as part of the national disability and health rehabilitation policy. The criteria that guided the sampling process were those of relevance and information sufficiency, therefore a structural sampling was chosen. The data processing was conducted by a semantic-oriented content analysis, following an intensive strategy; all the information that was produced during the field phase was analyzed. Results. The obtained results demonstrate CBR as a strategy that involves various forms of implementation and development that is related to the local history, the community's profile, the users' profiles and the relationships between the municipality and the rehabilitation program. Conclusions. The study identifies, within the CBR strategy, three action models; the bio-medial, bio-psychosocial and communal one.