Older adults' occupations in heat waves: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Heat waves impact the health of older adults, and occupations are important for health. An overview of research focussed on older adults' occupations in heat waves can be useful for occupational therapy practice. OBJECTIVE: To identify what the literature shows about older adults' experience and performance of, and participation in, occupations in heat waves. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This scoping review included a literature search in five academic databases, four databases for grey literature, and a manual search. Literature in English regarding older adults 60+ and their occupations in heat waves were eligible. FINDINGS: Twelve studies were included. Findings showed that older adults adapt their occupations using bodily, environmental, and social interaction strategies and by changing their daily routines. Personal, environmental, social, and economic factors facilitate and maintain occupations in heat waves. CONCLUSION: Older adults adapt their occupations in heat waves and different factors impact how they can be adapted. Future research is needed to explore how older adults experience their occupations in heat waves, and to deepen the knowledge about their heat-adaptive strategies. SIGNIFICANCE: The findings support the role of occupational therapists in the design and practice of interventions managing the impact of heat waves in daily life.

Occupational therapy and stress-related exhaustion - a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Sick leave due to long-term stress is increasing in Finland and other Western countries. Occupational therapists might contribute to the prevention of and/or recovery from stress-related exhaustion. AIMS/OBJECTIVES: To describe what is known about occupational therapy for stress-related exhaustion. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A five-step scoping review included papers published in six databases from 2000 to 2022. Extracted data was summarized to show the occupational therapy contribution within the literature. RESULTS: There were 29 papers meeting the inclusion criteria, of which a limited number described preventive interventions. Most articles described recovery-oriented occupational therapy with group interventions. The occupational therapists contributed with prevention measures, mostly targeting recovery in multi-professional interventions in terms of stress reduction or return-to-work. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational therapy involving stress management both prevents stress and supports recovery from stress-related exhaustion. Occupational therapists internationally use craft, nature activities or gardening as stress management measures. SIGNIFICANCE: Occupational therapy appears to be a potential treatment option for stress-related exhaustion internationally in conditions that could also work in Finland, for example in occupational healthcare.

Stroke survivors' experiences and meaning of digital technology in daily life: a phenomenological study.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to explore the experiences and meaning of digital technology in daily life by stroke survivors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A phenomenological study design helped to collect rich and in-depth understanding of stroke survivors' experiences and meaning of digital technology in their daily life and their perspective of applying digital technology in the implementation of stroke-related telerehabilitation services. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. FINDINGS: An overarching theme emerged: A spectrum of challenges, personal preferences, strategies to manage, and attitudes towards the use of digital technology in daily life. CONCLUSION: The findings revealed that participants' different experiences influenced their perceived meaning of digital technology in daily life and the interest to participate in telerehabilitation services.

Digital technology provides easy access to information for stroke survivors, but can sometimes be difficult to use.Stroke survivors have contrasting preferences for face-to-face and virtual interactions with health professionals.Digital technology has different meanings for different people.Client-centred practice within telerehabilitation for stroke survivors could be enhanced by understanding the clients' preferences, experiences, and meanings in digital technology.

Staffing agency: A bridge to working during retirement.

BACKGROUND: The ageing population has initiated a debate about a prolonged working life. There is an interest in finding the pre-retirement predictors of bridge employment and retirement decisions, but the understanding of the experiences of bridge employees is still limited. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to describe the characteristics of the pensioners working for a staffing agency, their motivational aspects, work patterns and types of services they provided. METHODS: This article analyses the results from a Swedish staffing agency's yearly co-worker questionnaire from December 2017. The response rate was 44% (N = 1741). The design is descriptive, with correlation analyses and construction of typical cases. RESULTS: Most study participants were aged 65-74 years. Sixty-five percent were men, 66% were cohabitating/married, dominating education level was secondary school or higher education (79%). Important incentives for working were the social context and to gain extra income. A majority of the respondents also stated that their work increased their overall well-being. Seventy-eight percent worked 25 hours per month or less, 37% wanted to work more, 3% wanted to work less. Private services dominated with 61%; most common were gardening (43%), trades (33%) and cleaning (31%). CONCLUSIONS: More men than women chose this form of work. While single women need to work out of economic necessity, men, to a larger extent, work for the social context and well-being. The highest work frequency in 2017 (14%) in the population was found for those who retired in 2015, i.e. two years after their retirement year. A majority indicated that the work they were doing was different from earlier in their working life.

Impacts of goal setting on engagement and rehabilitation outcomes following acquired brain injury: a systematic review of reviews.

PURPOSE: To appraise and synthesize evidence from previous systematic reviews (SRs) concerning the impacts of goal setting on engagement in the rehabilitation process and on outcomes of participation and occupational performance for individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Systematic review of SRs following the preferred reporting items for SRs and meta-analysis guidelines. Sixteen full text articles were assessed for eligibility, from which four were included in the review. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklists for SRs was used to rate quality and risk of bias. RESULTS: Four SRs of moderate to high quality included a variety of methodologies. Evidence of moderate quality showed clients' active participation in goal setting had positive impacts on the client and their engagement in the process. Findings suggested that goal-directed interventions, particularly in outpatient rehabilitation, may improve occupational performance. There was some indication that goal setting may support adherence to therapeutic exercises, but relevance to rehabilitation outcomes was less clear. Findings related to participation outcomes were minimal. CONCLUSIONS: Goal setting is a complex and multidimensional process. Goal setting may contribute to improved engagement in rehabilitation although few studies explored occupational performance and participation outcomes for individuals with ABI.Implications for rehabilitationActive goal setting may contribute to improved engagement in rehabilitation, however, including individual clients in the goal setting process requires creativity and flexibility on behalf of professionals.A model is presented to promote understanding of the personal and environmental barriers and facilitators that may interact with goal setting approaches to promote engagement in rehabilitation.There is a need for more research exploring impact of active client-centered goal setting on occupational performance and participation outcomes for people with acquired brain injury.

Occupational identity in occupational therapy: A concept analysis.

BACKGROUND: The concept of occupational identity has become an important focus within occupational science and occupational therapy, drawing both recognition and inquiry. Even if the concept is highly relevant for understanding the occupational nature of human beings, ambiguity regarding the identification and application of occupational identity exists. AIM: This analysis aimed to clarify the concept of occupational identity by examining its current use and application within occupational therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Walker and Avant's method for concept analysis was utilized to clarify the concept of occupational identity. RESULTS: Analysis resulted in three distinct categories of use: occupational identity construction, occupational identity discrepancy and occupational identity disruption, described contextually in terms of the self being, the self being and doing, and the self being and doing with others. CONCLUSIONS: Findings validated the significant connection between occupation and identity through doing, being and future becoming. Also uncovered were considerable connections to belonging. SIGNIFICANCE: Occupational identity encompassed complex connections comprising both individual and collective components. Personally meaningful expression and connection were of particular significance to occupational identity as discrepancies or disruption of meaningful connections had negative implications for occupational engagement.