"Making change by shared doing": An examination of occupation in processes of social transformation in five case studies.

BACKGROUND: As social and health inequalities deepen around the world, scholarship in occupational therapy and occupational science has increasingly emphasised the role of occupation as a powerful tool in transformative processes. OBJECTIVE: To explore how opportunities for everyday doing together may contribute to processes of social transformation by identifying ways occupation is being taken up in socially-transformative practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A generic descriptive qualitative case study design was utilised in order to describe current practice examples and identify ways occupation was being taken up in five initiatives working towards social transformation located in Canada, Germany, South Africa and the United Kingdom. RESULTS: Focussing on the positioning of occupation within the initiatives, three themes were developed: The intentionality of the process, the nature of occupation within the initiatives, and the role of occupation within the processes of social transformation. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Providing examples of agency on the micro level and of engagement with socioeconomic, political and cultural power structures at the societal level, this analysis raises important considerations in addressing how occupational therapy practice can move in socially responsive and transformative directions.

Occupation's Role in Inclusion of Spanish-Speaking Older Adults in a Senior Center.

Occupation-based literature has not explored the specific community-level occupational processes that support inclusion or exclusion of Latine older adults in senior centers. This study examined occupation at the community level and its role in the inclusion or exclusion of older adult Spanish speakers in a senior center community. In addition, it sought to examine potential roles for occupational therapy practice in this realm. A 6-month ethnographic study used interviews, observations, document review, group mapping activities, and collaborative analysis to explore occupation of a senior center as the community and staff welcomed older adult Spanish speakers. Being culturally proactive, considering values and interests, offering regular activities, and cross-group doing together encouraged cohesion and communal habits of inclusion. These tailored modes of community occupation benefit Spanish-speaking older adults. Occupational therapy practitioners have opportunities to utilize tailored community occupations to support community inclusion and cohesion for this population.

Linking Antiracist Action From the Classroom to Practice.

In the wake of sociopolitical movements to address health inequities and race-based violence in the United States, there have been calls to take up antiracist practices in the occupational therapy profession. This call aligns with Vision 2025 and requires intentional dialogue and instruction on racism and antiracism, beginning in occupational therapy academic programs. Although it is important to engage in discussions on racism and antiracism, it is equally imperative that members of the profession take action to ameliorate the consequences of racism. In this column, we argue for the need for occupational therapy educators to take immediate action. We provide specific recommendations and strategies to broach these topics, examples of classroom activities, and practical approaches for translating these skills to fieldwork settings. Continued work is needed to establish robust policies and practices to ensure that all occupational therapy program graduates enter the workforce prepared to promote health equity through antiracism.

Normative Values for Grip and Pinch Strength for 6- to 19-Year-Olds.

OBJECTIVES: To provide current normative data for grip and pinch strength in children and young adults aged 6 to 19 years as well as to examine the effect of age, sex, and hand dominance on grip and pinch strength. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional. SETTING: Two grade schools, 2 high schools, and 1 university. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N=1508; 741 male students and 767 female students) aged 6 to 19 years. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Means and SDs were calculated for each strength measurement (grip, tip pinch, lateral pinch, palmar pinch) and stratified by age and sex. Analysis of covariance and 2-sample t tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The analyses demonstrated that age and sex had a significant effect on hand strength values, as evidenced by increasing hand strength with age as well as greater hand strength in males than in females. Hand dominance was not shown to have a significant effect on hand strength. The results of this study were statistically significantly different from previously published normative values, with most hand strength values being lower than those published 28 years ago. CONCLUSIONS: Having updated normative data are paramount for rehabilitation practitioners to compare the grip and pinch strength of their clients with the average values to objectively assess impairment and tracking progress. The statistical significance observed for most data collected in this study as compared with those previously published supports the need for continually updating normative data.