Predictors of Productivity and Leisure for People Aging with Intellectual Disability.

Background. Adults aging with intellectual disability (ID) face barriers to engagement in occupation. Greater understanding of factors that affect engagement in work and leisure occupations is required to support occupational engagement in this population. Purpose. Identify predictors of engagement in work and leisure occupations for adults aging with an ID, and consider implications for occupational therapy practice. Method. Data from wave 2 of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (IDS-TILDA) was analyzed using regression analysis to identify predictors of engagement in work and leisure occupations for adults aging with an ID. Findings. Adults who had difficulty getting around their home environment, poor physical health, or older age were less likely to engage in work and leisure activities. Implications. Occupational therapists can support adults aging with ID to age in place. Occupation-focused health promotion could enhance well-being through engagement in occupation.

Engagement and social interaction in dementia care settings. A call for occupational and social justice.

As full citizens, people with dementia are entitled to engage in social and occupational activities in residential care settings. Limitation or deprivation of choice and experience of valued occupations has been described elsewhere as occupational injustice. This research frames the unmet needs of people with dementia for occupation and social interaction, as issues of human rights and citizenship. It identifies a gap in current measurement tools of engagement in residential settings and in response, presents the Assessment Tool for Occupational and Social Engagement (ATOSE) as an objective measure of engagement. It examines results from a study of five residential care settings in Ireland using the ATOSE which included 73 residents with dementia and/or enduring mental health diagnoses. Residents spent on average, 38% of their time engaged and 62% of their time not engaged while in their communal sitting rooms. The ATOSE observations supported the rights of residents as citizens to have low levels of engagement addressed. A critical gerontology lens is employed to discuss concepts of citizenship, occupational justice, and social justice in the context of this research project.

Capturing Interactive Occupation and Social Engagement in a Residential Dementia and Mental Health Setting Using Quantitative and Narrative Data.

OBJECTIVES: Despite an abundance of research acknowledging the value of interactive occupation and social engagement for older people, and the limits to these imposed by many residential settings, there is a lack of research which measures and analyzes these concepts. This research provides a method for measuring, analysing and monitoring interactive occupation and social engagement levels of residents in a secure residential setting for older people with mental health problems and dementia. It proposes suggestions for changes to improve the well-being of residents in residential settings. METHOD: In this case study design, the Assessment Tool for Occupational and Social Engagement (ATOSE) provided a 'whole room' time sampling technique to observe resident and staff interactive occupation and social engagement within the communal sitting room over a five-week period. Researchers made contemporaneous notes to supplement the ATOSE data and to contextualise the observations. RESULTS: Residents in the sitting room were passive, sedentary, and unengaged for 82.73% of their time. Staff, who were busy and active 98.84% of their time in the sitting room, spent 43.39% of this time in activities which did not directly engage the residents. The physical, social and occupational environments did not support interactive occupation or social engagement. CONCLUSIONS: The ATOSE assessment tool, in combination with narrative data, provides a clear measurement and analysis of interactive occupation and social engagement in this and other residential settings. Suggestions for change include a focus on the physical, social, occupational, and sensory environments and the culture of care throughout the organization.

Impact of an evidence-based practice course on occupational therapist's confidence levels and goals.

Confidence levels of 136 Irish occupational therapists were measured before and after an evidence based practice training course. Ranked scores on the evidence based practice confidence scale showed statistically significant improvement in all areas between pre and post course. Goals set by therapists to integrate EBP into their practice following the course were analysed and grouped into categories which included: 1) getting ready to use evidence based practice, 2) examining current and best practices, and 3) promoting a culture of evidence based practice in the workplace. Course feedback using Likert scales identified satisfaction with course content and delivery method.