Geriatric occupational therapy: the uncertain ideology of long-term care

The Conceptualisation of Residential Home Environments: Implications for Occupational Therapy

This paper examines the views of staff about the environments of two residential homes: one representative of a homely environment and the other more reminiscent of a hotel. A qualitative study using in-depth semi-structured interviews was conducted with a purposive sample of 21 staff. Emerging themes in the data from the first facility related to kinship, recognition of history, individuality and meaningful relationships in the homely environment. This contrasted with a more conscious awareness of the tone of the second facility, the need for correct behaviours and a bureaucratic organisation in the hotel-like home.

The findings showed that the meanings attached to a residential home and its press for occupational behaviours are shaped by cultural, social and historical experiences. Such meanings are strongly influenced by management, with staff and residents adjusting to expectations as indicated by the social and physical environment. There is very little in the literature that reflects how one should conceptualise a residential home, yet it is the very nature of this perception that is crucial to the development of an atmosphere that indicates expectations for actions – for both staff and residents.

Parent reports of sensory experiences of preschool children with and without autism: a qualitative study

This study describes sensory experiences of children with and without autism. Parents of 66 preschoolers (29 typically developing; 37 with autism) described situations in which their child had "good" and "bad" sensory experiences and their perception of how these situations felt to the child. The most common unpleasant experiences for both groups related to sound; the most common pleasant experiences involved touch and movement. Children with autism were reported to have more extreme or unusual experiences and negative food-related experiences than typically developing peers. Parental explanations for children's responses focused on the qualities of the child, stimulus, or context. Parents of children with autism were more likely to recognize elements in their children's experiences as being sensory and to attribute those responses to aspects of autism. Parents' positive response to the interview itself was an unexpected result with clinical relevance.

Occupational therapy practice patterns with older Swedish persons at home

This paper explores and describes occupational therapy practice patterns during two periods for 89 elderly persons living at home. Occupational therapists working in one social welfare district in Stockholm, Sweden documented and reported every occupational therapy intervention provided. The results revealed that the elderly persons who received occupational therapy services during an extended period had an age span of 30 years, with a mean age over 80 years. They had several medical problems and were living in different types of settings. Occupational therapists provided a wide range of interventions, most frequently categorised as treatment, especially related to leisure activities. Irrespective of level of care, the median of interventions per person increased or was the same over time, and 72% of the elderly persons remained at the same level of care. Enabling occupation for elderly disabled person living in their home involves constantly adjusting to the current situation since the clients' capacities, goals and environment change over time. Therefore, occupational therapists need to have a client-centred approach working in home health community services.

Career choices: a comparison of two occupational therapy practice groups

The increasing number of elderly people in the population and their greater use of the health care system require an increasing number of health care providers to work with older adults. A shortage of health care professionals to provide this care, as well as a reluctance to provide such care have been reported in the literature. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how occupational therapists decide to work with older adults. Using a comparative approach, 40 occupational therapists were interviewed, 20 working in gerontology and 20 working in paediatrics. The findings indicate that social characteristics and experiences of the individual, as well as the context of work are important influences for practice choice decisions. Mapping of career paths led to the development of a typology to further describe the different influences involved in the career choices of these occupational therapists. Recommendations related to education and practice provide practical means by which to implement change.