Introduction
Nowadays, many older individuals face difficulties in carrying out their everyday tasks, and assessments frequently concentrate on their functional ability, sometimes overlooking vital psychological factors, notably the sense of competence and its influence on the successful performance of various activities. The aging process differs from person to person, shaped by their distinct life experiences and their interpretations of them. Aging generally advances gradually, except when sudden traumatic events result in significant alterations.
What Is the Need for Occupational Therapy for Seniors?
Healthy aging encompasses developing and sustaining functional abilities that support well-being in later life, as outlined by WHO (World Health Organization) 2017. Occupational therapists understand that lifelong engagement in activities significantly contributes to establishing and preserving the health, well-being, and quality of life of older individuals.
Participation in community-based activities plays a vital role in the wellness of those aged 65 and above. Limitations in community participation lead to feelings of depression, loss of independence, identity, loneliness, and reduced life satisfaction. Furthermore, individuals engaging in out-of-home activities will likely be more physically active than those confined to in-home activities.
Older adults engage in various community-based activities, and the variety and quantity of these activities differ among individuals. These activities encompass tasks like spending time with family and friends, running errands, shopping for essentials, attending medical appointments, engaging in exercise by walking, leisure activities, visiting banks or post offices, participating in social activities or religious gatherings, grocery shopping and informal social interactions like playing cards.
What Are the Common Aging Problems?
Some common problems seen in the elderly may include:
-
Falls: As people age, they are prone to geriatric syndromes, with falls being a significant example. Falls are a major global cause of accidental deaths, leading to various adverse consequences like reduced quality of life, economic burdens, mobility issues, depression, and fear of falling. These falls can result from intrinsic factors related to aging, including medical conditions and medications, and extrinsic factors like environmental hazards and improper footwear. Fear of falling is closely linked to falls and can even trigger them. To address this issue, inclusive software development has been explored, with one tool designed for accessibility. While various assistive technologies like video monitoring and health tracking are used to prevent falls in older adults, they were not covered in the studies reviewed. Additionally, global fall interventions often focus on exercise options and emerging technologies such as virtual reality and wearables.
-
Psychological Well-Being: This involves balancing expectations, hopes, satisfaction, achieved realities, and coping with life’s challenges for successful everyday life. It is a subjective and multidimensional concept, often defined by individuals as the sense and meaning they derive from their lives. One theory suggests that optimal experiences occur when an individual’s abilities align with the demands of a task, creating a sense of flow is necessary for emotional well-being, which is applied in occupational therapy to determine focused treatment and the right time to switch activities to provide an optimal experience by balancing an individual’s capabilities and challenges of a task. Psychological variables in adults can be influenced by various factors such as optimism, self-esteem, and self-efficacy which play a significant role in well-being and performing daily activities. Self-esteem and self-efficacy are important for promoting occupational performance and refer to an individual’s belief in their ability to achieve desired results through organized actions.
-
Visual Impairment: Low vision is a permanent impairment of visual acuity or field, uncorrectable through surgery, drugs, or eyewear. People often seek assistance primarily due to difficulties in reading tasks. Occupational therapy can be a valuable resource for individuals with low vision, helping them adapt and employ effective compensatory techniques to engage in meaningful activities. Interventions include visual skills training and comprehensive approaches. Technological aids in interventions for older adults with visual impairment encompass hand and stand magnifiers, telescopes, and electronic magnification devices. These devices are frequently recommended to support clients in reading, essential for daily activities, instrumental tasks, and leisure pursuits. With technological advancements, mainstream devices like tablets and e-readers are increasingly used to enhance reading performance. Low vision rehabilitation services offer multi-component interventions that provide diverse strategies to enhance participation in meaningful activities, including reading. These interventions include education about the eye’s condition, group therapy, instruction in problem-solving techniques, environmental modifications (light adjustments), guidance in adaptive strategies and training in using low vision devices, simplifying tasks, and improving reading skills.
-
Dementia: Supporting individuals with dementia who live at home is a significant and challenging concern for patients, families, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Dementia often brings cognitive, language, and daily living challenges, followed by behavioral and psychological symptoms like apathy, agitation, anxiety, and depression. These changes in communication, behavior, and function, which signal unmet needs, can be distressing for family caregivers. Evidence suggests that in-home occupational therapy enhances the performance of daily activities for people with dementia, reduces behavioral and psychological symptoms (except anxiety and depression), and contributes to an improved quality of life. It can also alleviate family caregivers’ distress related to these behaviors, reduce the time spent in assisting the person with dementia, and enhance the quality of life of the caregiver and family.
What Is the Role of Occupational Therapy in Seniors?
The occupational therapy profession is crucial in promoting healthy aging by facilitating community participation and addressing environmental factors like infrastructure, attitudes, policies, outdoor spaces, and transportation. This involves a shift from traditional occupational therapy practices to innovative ways of delivering services that focus on community mobility, participation, and the well-being of older adults living in the community. To effectively support older and aging individuals, the occupational therapy profession requires valid assessment tools. These tools include descriptive assessments that inform planning and intervention and evaluative assessments to track changes over time.
Research guided by Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN), recognized a framework in the occupation therapy field for crafting and assessing measurement tolls. As per COSMIN’s guidelines, the initial and critical step in evaluating the psychometric properties of an assessment involves assessing content validity. In promoting healthy aging, the occupational therapy profession plays a pivotal role. It includes enabling community participation and addressing environmental factors. To effectively support older adults in remaining active in their communities and participating in community-based activities, the occupational therapy field will need valid assessment tools that provide essential information for effective planning and interventions.
Conclusion
Occupational therapy for seniors plays a crucial role in enhancing overall well-being and quality of life. By addressing physical, cognitive, and psychosocial challenges, occupational therapists enable older adults to maintain independence, engage in meaningful activities, and actively participate in their communities. With a focus on holistic care, occupational therapy empowers seniors to age healthy, adapt to changing needs, and enjoy fulfilling lives, emphasizing that age is not a barrier to living life to the fullest.
