Residential care settings – an occupational therapy perspective

Background: Residential care organizations provide the last home for many very old, frail and/or vulnerable people and especially for those with advanced dementia. Despite considerable advances in the care culture the majority... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Residential care organizations provide the last home for many very old, frail and/or vulnerable people and especially for those with advanced dementia. Despite considerable advances in the care culture the majority of these ‘homes’ appear to remain firmly dominated by a medical hospital care culture. Although medical care forms a minuscule component in the day-to-day lives of these elders, few examples of organizations based on social models of care exist.
Method:
An intra-professional critical occupational perspective assisted in the collaboration of occupational therapy (OT) researchers to consider care practices within a variety of residential care facilities. The researchers used their professional experiences within care contexts and selected examples of social care models to contemplate how OT perspectives and philosophy would support organizing of housing for persons with dementia.
Results:
Insights revealed the importance of enabling previous and new patterns of daily occupation as part of collaborative endeavours to support and promote shared doing and a sense of belonging.
Conclusion:
The environment within care organizations should address the occupational needs of the people who live and work there. Co-occupations and collaborative doing are key for promoting doing, being, belonging and becoming of all involved.
Application to Practice:
The diverse nature and holistic approach of OT to support a perspective focused on occupational justice are long overdue. We need to ensure that we contribute our expertise and promote a life worth living for elders with advanced dementia living in care organizations.