Life After Hospitalization

A study completed by Vik, Nygård, Borell, and Josephsson (2008) looked at how older adults with disabilities participate in daily life after hospitalization. They found through their interviews with the participants that the need for being in charge was important to each person. All three of the participants in the study discharged themselves from the hospital. In this study they also noted that the residents dislike waiting and frequent changes in staff. Thus, in the program being implemented, it will be important for the residents to be in charge of what activities they want to do and each resident will be encouraged to take the lead in establishing their daily schedule. It is also the goal that one OTA student will be paired with the
(2008) also noted that therapists need to be more focused on the residents ‘ability to participate in daily occupations instead of focusing on their deficits. It was reported that the outcome is more positive when the focus is on participation in occupations then when the focus is on illness and recovery of function. They found that staff appear more concerned with restoring lost function. One of the very first things to be given to residents when admitted to the facility will be the Canadian Occupational Profile. This will allow the residents to identify their own occupational performance difficulties and to identify the occupations they would like to focus on. The OTA student will assist the resident in creating goals the resident would like to accomplish while at the facility. Vik et al. (2008) discuss how it is so vital that Occupational Therapy professionals learn more about their client’s daily occupations and work to be more client centered. They noted that many therapists think they are client centered, when in actuality they are not. Occupational therapy professionals should adapt treatment to the participants changing participation in life versus determine the treatment based on the clients impairments and decreased function