As the population of older adults in the US increases so do their rates of chronic disease (CDC, 2020). There is limited availability of occupational therapy led health promotion programs for older adults despite being shown to prevent and/or manage chronic disease while helping them thrive (Berger et al., 2018; Cassidy et al., 2017; Clark et al., 2012; Smallfield & Lucas Molitor, 2018b). Factors contributing to limited programming include lack of training for occupational therapy practitioners in preventive health (Metzler et al., 2012), occupational therapy having little recognition as a provider in preventive care amongst health professionals (Halle et al., 2018), and lack of referrals and reimbursement for occupational therapy services in preventive care (Hildenbrand & Lamb, 2013; Metzler et al., 2012).
ageWISE is an innovative evidence-based preventive occupational therapy program developed to improve the mental and physical health of older adults. The six-month program develops participant efficacy in optimizing self-selected health behaviors through topics including fall prevention, sleep and rest, ADL performance, socialization, and navigating healthcare technology by utilizing a blend of didactic lecture, experiential learning, peer discussion, goal-setting, and journaling. Comprised of eight in-person group-based sessions and two telephone-based individual sessions, all ageWISE sessions are led by an occupational therapy practitioner and supported by an occupational therapy doctoral student. ageWISE is positioned to not only improve the health of older adults but to expand the reach of occupational therapy in a setting where its value is a necessity…preventive care.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/45048 |
| Date | 25 August 2022 |
| Creators | Durkin, Ryan P. |
| Contributors | Wagenfeld, Amy |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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