Occupational Health for the Elderly
Many seniors experience a decline in life quality as their bodies and cognitive abilities begin to weaken. According to a major study out of USC’s Health Science campus, occupational therapy (OT) can make a positive difference by helping these seniors experience healthier, more satisfying and independent lifestyles.
Three Different Approaches
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the “Well Elderly Study” involved over 360 seniors between the ages of 60 and 89. To see if occupational therapy treatments could improve health, attitudes and mobility, researchers split the subjects into three evenly-sized groups. While the first group received no treatment, the second engaged in non-professional activity groups, involving community outings, craft projects, games, dances, and other social activities. The third group, on the other hand, received nine months of professional occupational therapy, consisting of individual and group treatments aimed at altering the participants’ approaches toward everyday activities such as grooming, exercising, and shopping in an attempt to maximize, vitality, productivity, and function.
Substantial Improvement
At the conclusion of their nine-month study, the researchers reassessed each subject’s physical health and social/mental functioning. Ultimately, they found that subjects in the third group demonstrated a 14-percent advantage over those in the other two groups, with each one exhibiting greater vitality, better mental and physical health, greater life satisfaction, better social interactivity, less body pain, and fewer limitations.
Convincing Results
In the past, occupational therapy had mainly been used to treat patients coping with the catastrophic disabilities or illnesses. With that said, the Well Elderly Study appears to demonstrate that these same occupational therapy concepts can be used to maintain health and prevent disease in the general public. According to lead author, Professor Florence Clark, his research also shows the health-care industry that it can reduce the cost of morbidity and disability by including occupational therapy in more health plans.
