Effectiveness of an occupational therapy wellness programme for older adults living in long-term care

Background: This study evaluates the impact of participation in a 12-week occupational therapy (OT) wellness programme in long-term care (LTC) on residents’ • Performance and satisfaction in daily tasks • Confidence ... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
This study evaluates the impact of participation in a 12-week occupational therapy (OT) wellness programme in long-term care (LTC) on residents’
• Performance and satisfaction in daily tasks
• Confidence
• Mental well-being
• Overall life satisfaction.

This was based on ‘Lifestyle Matters’, an occupation-based health promotion programme for older people, and focused on enabling participants to undertake new or neglected activities, make lifestyle choices and undertake personal goal-setting.
The delivery of similar occupation-based wellness programmes has been found to be effective for community-dwelling older adults, however there is a need to explore applicability in a range of settings.

Method:
A small-scale randomised, wait-list controlled design was used.
Canadian Occupational Performance Measure; Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Life Satisfaction Index were used as outcome measures. Data collection occurred at three time-points (baseline, immediately post-programme and 12 weeks post-programme).
A qualitative focus group explored the experiences of participants following programme completion.

Results:
There were improvements in Occupational Performance and Satisfaction, Self-efficacy, Anxiety and Depression, and Life Satisfaction for the treatment group over time, but not for the control group.

Improved Confidence/Self-efficacy, Peer Support, and Goal Attainment were some of the perceived benefits described by focus group participants.

Conclusion:
As an exploratory study, results confirm the tangible benefits that older people living in LTC can obtain from a health-promoting, occupation-based intervention. Further study is required with a larger sample size.

Application to Practice:
The delivery of the programme was feasible and its benefit to participants was observed.