Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Preserving Function In Individuals With Parkinson's Disease, Thu Anh Lenguyen

MOT Student Capstones

Incidence of Parkinson's disease is growing due to the rise of the aging population requiring increased need for occupational therapy to facilitate independence and aging in place. Occupational therapy practitioners will need to have a general understanding of how to treat clients with the disease by becoming informed on the impact on occupations, evidence-based interventions, and available resources to clients and caregivers. Objectives of this project related to facilitating aging in place by maximizing client's quality of life and independence in their least restrictive environment. Three objectives were the focus of this project: • Occupational therapy practitioners will gain a …

A Guide For Caregiver Self Stress-Management, Allison Huffman

MOT Student Capstones

This capstone project aims to investigate alternative approaches for home health occupational therapy practitioners to educate caregivers on self stress-management techniques. The demographics of the caregivers are female adults caring for an elderly ill spouse or friend in the caregiver's home. Literature reviewed supports the efficacy of using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to manage stress (i.e. lavender essential oil, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and yoga). The guide was designed by the occupational therapy student with the objective to provide occupational therapy practitioners in the home health setting a guide that is evidence-based and follows health literacy standards. The objectives …

Quality Of Life And Self-Determination: Youth With Chronic Health Conditions Make The Connection, Janette Mcdougall, Patricia Baldwin, Jan Evans, Megan Nichols, Nicole Ehterington, Virginia Wright

Occupational Therapy Publications

While optimizing quality of life(QOL) is a key goal of rehabilitation care,no previous study has reported on what ‘QOL’ means to youth with chronic health conditions. In addition, no qualitative studies have explored the relationship between QOL and self-determination(SD). Objectives of this qualitative study were to examine: what the terms ‘quality of life’ and ‘self-determination’ mean to youth with chronic conditions; the factors these youth think are linked with these concepts; the relationship they see between concepts, the types of future goals youth have and how they view the connection between their SD and these goals. A descriptive methodology was …

Icf-Based Functional Components And Contextual Factors As Correlates Of Perceived Quality Of Life For Youth With Chronic Conditions, Janette Mcdougall, Virginia Wright, David Dewit, Linda Miller

Occupational Therapy Publications

Purpose: To explore International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)-based functional components and contextual factors associated with perceived quality of life (QOL) for youth with chronic conditions from the perspective of youth and parents.

Method: Baseline data were obtained from a longitudinal study examining predictors of changes in perceived QOL for youth with chronic conditions. 439 youth aged 11–17 (and one of their parents) completed a questionnaire. Standardized tools were used to measure youth functioning, contextual factors and perceived QOL. Multivariate linear regression analyses, controlling for socio-demographic and health information, were conducted to explore correlations among youth functioning/contextual factors …

Functional Improvement In Older Adults After A Falls Prevention Pilot Study, Pei-Fen J. Chang, Yong-Fang Kuo

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Falls are a costly, disabling, and life-threatening risk in the elderly. Improvements in physical function, balance, lower extremity strength, and health-related quality of life are hypothesized to help mitigate fall risk. In this pilot study, six women and men with an average age of 81 years participated in a 6-week exercise and education program created to reduce risk of falls. Evaluations were made at baseline and at 6 weeks on four tests: the Functional Status Questionnaire, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Six-minute Walk Test, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life–BREF 26-question test. Scores indicated significant improvement in …

Assessing The Psychometric Properties Of Both A Global And A Domain-Specific Perceived Quality Of Life Measure When Used With Youth Who Have Chronic Conditions, Janette Mcdougall, Virginia Wright, Megan Nichols, Linda Miller

Occupational Therapy Publications

The purpose of this paper was to assess the psychometric properties of the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) and the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) when used with youth who have chronic conditions. Baseline data from a longitudinal study examining predictors of changes in perceived quality of life (PQOL) for youth with chronic conditions were used. SLSS and BMSLSS data were collected on over 400 youth aged 11–17 using youth self-report and parent proxy-report versions. Internal consistency, convergent validity, and factor structure were examined for both versions. Extent of agreement and magnitude of differences between youth and parent …