Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Non-Pharmaceutical Methods For Pain Management: An Occupational Therapist’S Perspective On Chronic Pain, Alison L. Brown

Student Capstone Papers

Typically pharmaceuticals are the first intervention for chronic pain but in a world where there is an opioid crisis, and chronic pain rates rising, is there more to be done? A non-pharmaceutical approach to chronic pain management can be addressed through occupational therapy. Occupational therapists are specialized to handle these types of interventions. This capstone provides evidence to support the use of aquatic therapy, adaptive equipment, adaptive strategies, fitness-based programs, and ergonomics for a non-pharmaceutical approach in occupational therapy.

Power Skills Curriculum Development For Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities At Friends Life Community, April Coleson

OTD Capstone Projects

Development of life skills curriculum for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from an occupational therapy perspective

Exploring How Older People Living At Home Alone Occupy Their Time – A Time-Geographic Study, Alison Wicks, Megan Blanchard, Ingeborg Nilsson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Knowing what older people choose to do with their time informs occupational therapists in their everyday practice. This study explored how sixteen older Australians living at home alone without support occupied their time.

Method: People aged 70 years and older living alone in one’s home and receiving no support services were voluntary recruited. The participants completed time-use diaries for 5 days and recorded how, with whom, and where they spent time. Data were coded and analyzed using the software program Vardagen.

Results: The participants reported 217 different daily activities. While patterns of daily participation varied, all …

Transition In Occupations Of Refugees During Resettlement, Jacqueline-Elizabeth Cantrell, Kimberley K. Banuelos, Adam Chan, Jennifer H. Daine

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Purpose: In 2016, there were 22.5 million refugees worldwide (UNHCR, 2017). California resettled just over 5,000 of those 85,000 (Igielnik & Krogstad, 2017). Limited research has been conducted in the United States (U.S.) focusing on the refugee experience; furthermore, there is a significant gap in research regarding the impact of the refugee experience on the occupations of refugees as they transition to living in the U.S. Smith (2012) explored the adaptation of cultural weaving among Karen refugees to maintain their previous occupations and the impact of daily weaving on their lives within Western culture; however, the study focused only …

Expanding Beyond Individualism: Engaging Critical Perspectives On Occupation., Alison J Gerlach, Gail Teachman, Debbie Rudman, Rebecca M Aldrich, Suzanne Huot

Occupational Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Perspectives that individualize occupation are poorly aligned with socially responsive and transformative occupation-focused research, education, and practice. Their predominant use in occupational therapy risks the perpetuation, rather than resolution, of occupational inequities.

AIM: In this paper, we problematize taken-for-granted individualistic analyses of occupation and illustrate how critical theoretical perspectives can reveal the ways in which structural factors beyond an individual's immediate control and environment shape occupational possibilities and occupational engagement.

METHOD: Using a critically reflexive approach, we draw on three distinct qualitative research studies to examine the potential of critical theorizing for expanding beyond a reliance on individualistic analyses …

Fine Motor Skills And The Occupations Of Young Adults With Multiple Sclerosis, Mary Squillace

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological diseases affecting adults of working age, and those of younger ages of onset have been increasingly recognized. Twenty-seven percent of people with MS (PwMS) are age 30 years old or younger. The burden of MS for young adults puts them at risk for poorer outcomes regarding their education, family planning, vocation, and social skills as they transition to adulthood. Fine motor (FM) skill impairment might impede performance within the daily occupations of young adults who are transitioning into adulthood. Few studies focus on the occupations and occupational performance of …

Living With Fragile X Syndrome: An Examination Of Family Occupations, Rebecca Schira, Samantha Alexander, Noelani Brisbane, Kaitlyn Williams

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited Intellectual Developmental Disorder and a genetic model for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Those living with FXS face emotional, social, intellectual, and physical challenges that impact engagement in occupations, yet to date, there has been limited qualitative research examining family occupations in FXS. In this research, twelve interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for common themes anchored in the Person, Environment, Occupation (PEO) model. Results indicated that while children with FXS exhibit strengths, there are certain occupations that families find difficult to engage in. A new model was created for consideration …

A Home Away From Home: An Occupational Manual For Working With Refugee Populations, Katherine Erickson, Kari Kjergaard

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Problem: As of October 2016, over 65.3 million people have been displaced from their home due to civil wars and civil unrest; 21.3 million of this population are refugees and this number continues to grow (UNHCR, 2016). Due to the nature in which people become refugees and experience trauma, both physically and mentally, there is a rising need for health professionals to be culturally competent and well equipped to work with this population. The vast majority of refugee populations face barriers some of which include being forced to adapt to a new home environment, social isolation, language barriers, and ultimately …

Living With Fragile X Syndrome: Occupations As An Outcome Measure In A Clinical Trial, Kaylee E. Gothelf, Ty Duong, Ana Baldinger, Theresa Chase

Student Research Posters

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of semi-structured interviews as an outcome measure in a clinical trial for children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) ages 2-6. This qualitative approach was used to analyze twenty-five interviews of parents with children in a double-blind medication trial - sertraline or placebo. The aim was to assess occupational improvements in their child that may not have been detected with the use quantitative outcome measures alone. Results showed greater improvements in the sertraline group in areas of behavior, social participation, sensory-related behaviors, receptive language, education, family impact and therapeutic strategies. Our …

Exploratory Study Of Breast Cancer Survivors' Lived Experience : Activity Engagement During And After Breast Cancer Treatment, Anne Fleischer

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The aim of this study is to describe breast cancer survivors' experiences and the associated meanings participating in their important activities during and after breast cancer treatment and the relationship among the survivor, environment, occupation, and performance, using a concurrent mixed method design. Ten survivors between the ages of 45 and 64 with Stage I, II, or III breast cancer who had been treated consecutively with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy were recruited for the study. Each survivor completed the Activity Card Sort-modified scoring system (ACSm) during the first and last week of radiation therapy and 3 and 6 months …

Bridging Job Skills To The Future For Students With Disabilities, Trista Aaberg, Jessica Mcwilliams

Occupational Therapy Capstones

It is estimated that 83% of students, who received special education services, are unemployed following graduation (White & Weiner, 2004). The problem is that often there is no training program to assist the job coaches in the evaluation process to create a successful fit between the student and the job placement. The literature supports the creation of a protocol and training program to address the needs identified of the student.

This scholarly project focuses on the Natrona Country School District in Casper, Wyoming which has implemented the Kelly Walsh Work Study Program. A review of the program's needs assessment and …

Clinical Interpretation Of "Health And The Human Spirit For Occupation"., Janice P. Burke

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

In reading and contemplating Yenca's (1998) article, I was immediately struck by the utility of the ideas she offers on a number of clinical fronts. We are presented with occupation-based strategies that are directly applicable to our work with patients and program development; we can make use of the language and ideas that are offered as a way to begin talking to one another (therapist to therapist) in clinical settings about occupation; and we are given the opportunity to think about the contribution, value, and efficacy of occupation and how we might convert those ideas into clinically based research actions. …