Australian Occupational Therapy Journal

INTRODUCTION: Allied health has a valuable role in providing services to people living in residential aged care. The recent Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety included several important recommendations relating to the nursing, personal care, and allied health workforce and the care that they provide. The purpose of this paper is to review these recommendations and the Australian Government's policy responses and explore the emerging changes in allied health service provision in residential aged care...

INTRODUCTION: Occupational balance has been investigated in different populations but less in stroke survivors. Previous studies have focussed on occupational balance among stroke survivors of working age (15-64 years of age), showing they did not perceive they had occupational balance. There is, therefore, a lack of knowledge of how older stroke survivors perceive their occupational balance. The aims of this study were to describe occupational balance in community-dwelling stroke survivors 65 years or older and to investigate if there were any associations between their perceived stroke impact and occupational balance...

INTRODUCTION: The Sensory Processing Measure 2 (SPM2) and the Sensory Profile 2 (SP2) are two sensory processing scales often used by occupational therapists. The SPM2 and SP2 both claim to assess aspects of children's sensory processing. This cross-sectional study examined the convergent validity of the SPM2-Home Form (SPM2-HF) and Child SP2 for school-aged neurotypical children. METHODS: Thirty parents/caregivers of neurotypical children aged 7 to 12 completed the SPM2-HF and the Child SP2 about their child...

INTRODUCTION: Occupation-based interventions use engagement in a person's daily activities to achieve change. There is growing research into the use of occupation-based group interventions in the inpatient rehabilitation setting. It remains unclear whether occupation-based groups offer comparable outcomes to occupation-based interventions delivered individually; this research will precede a clinical trial aimed at comparing these two approaches for improving occupational performance outcomes...

INTRODUCTION: The importance of holidays, traditions, and family celebrations to human culture and occupational engagement has been neglected. The aim of this study was to explore how older adults experienced holidays and celebrations with social and physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A secondary analysis was made on data from the At-Risk Study. Seventeen community-living adults (11 women and 6 men) aged 71-87 years, from Sweden participated...

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (known as 'myositis') are a group of rare sporadic inflammatory muscle disorders that significantly impact function and quality of life. There are no standardised approaches in the use of assistive technologies in myositis. This study was initiated to investigate current use and perceived value of assistive technology (AT) by people with myositis. METHODS: A cross-sectional online questionnaire (Qualtrics) was designed to capture information regarding AT use and perceived value and demographic information from people with myositis across Australia...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was implemented at a state-wide burns service to ensure compliance with current best evidence as outlined by the Australian and New Zealand Burns Association 'burn trauma rehabilitation: allied health practice guidelines'- Chapter 7 Measuring Post-Burn Recovery, as a standard outcome measure for individuals with an admission time greater than 24 h. The primary aim of this study is to determine if individuals have a minimal important change in performance and satisfaction with activities that were identified as problematic on the COPM prior to their acute discharge...

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity is known to positively influence cognitive performance. For adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the relationship between physical activity levels and cognitive performance is unknown. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine if cognitive performance [as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)] of people living in the community with MCI is associated with their physical activity levels or sedentary behaviour. METHODS: ActivPAL™ accelerometers were used to objectively measure physical activity and sedentary behaviour for seven full days...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Picky eating is a common childhood phenomenon that impacts many families' occupations surrounding mealtimes. Evidence of the effectiveness of Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) for caregivers of children suggests it may represent a useful occupation-focused intervention for parents of picky eaters. Using an OPC-targeted intervention, this study aims to report preliminary effectiveness, explore the experience of parents' participation, and investigate factors that influence the OPC intervention...

INTRODUCTION: The compassionate communities' movement is a public health approach to end-of-life care that emphasises the integral role of communities in supporting and caring for dying persons and their informal carers. Although occupational therapists have well-established roles in palliative care teams, little is known about their potential in assisting in the formation and maintenance of compassionate communities. METHOD: Data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with nine Australian occupational therapists with experience in specialist palliative care...

INTRODUCTION: This study assessed the prevalence and associations of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction in electrical utility workers, with the aim of applying the findings to better prevent and rehabilitate workplace musculoskeletal disorders. METHODS: Employees completed an online survey recording their musculoskeletal symptoms across nine anatomical locations for the preceding 12 months. A total of 565 employees, working across eight different electrical utility organisational work units, completed the survey...

INTRODUCTION: While Singapore is rapidly ageing and the need for palliative care services is projected to rise, there has been limited exploration of the occupations of Chinese older adults with life-limiting conditions. This study is the third in a series of three studies aimed to address this issue. This study also sought to discuss future directions for occupational therapy practice with Chinese older adults living with life-limiting illnesses in Singapore. METHOD: The study adopted a qualitative exploratory design using focus groups...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based practice supports clinical decision-making by using multiple sources of evidence arising from research and practice. Research evidence develops through empirical study while practice evidence arises through clinical experience, client preferences, and the practice context. Although occupational therapists have embraced the paradigm of evidence-based practice, some studies have identified limits in the availability and use of research, which can lead to reliance on other forms of evidence...

INTRODUCTION: Occupational therapy in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) can enhance residents' occupational engagement and wellbeing. However, industry reports suggest that occupational therapists in Australian RACFs have mostly provided physical therapies such as pain management via massage and not addressed residents' occupations. There is limited literature on what constitutes occupational therapists' practice in RACFs to inform policy and practice. The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to explore practice patterns of occupational therapists working in Australian RACFs and influences on their practice...

INTRODUCTION: Animal-assisted and nature-based interventions in psychosocial treatment for various groups of clients have been studied internationally. However, there is little knowledge about how young adults with autism experience participation in such types of interventions. This clinical study aimed to describe the feasibility of animal-assisted and nature-based activities on a farm as a complementary intervention for young adults with autism and social withdrawal. METHODS: The participants were aged 18-30 years, diagnosed with autism and social withdrawal, with no organised occupation during the previous year...

INTRODUCTION: Although there is a large proportion of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds within Australia, their rate of access to disability services is disproportionately low. This review aims to understand the service needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds with disability to facilitate engagement in meaningful occupations. METHODS: Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework was employed. Ten databases were searched for Australian studies...

INTRODUCTION: Occupational therapists have vital roles in inpatient rehabilitation to focus on independence in activities of daily living. Occupational therapy interventions are uniquely designed to address goals of service users and can be delivered individually or in group formats. Group interventions promote service users' mutual support and enable therapists to increase frequency and intensity of service provision. Student-led programs have become an attractive model, benefiting students while providing positive treatment outcomes for service users...