Individuals experiencing homelessness face significant barriers to accessing affordable and sustainable housing and to managing their health and well-being (Baggett, O’Connell, Singer, & Rigotta, 2010; Munoz, Garcia, Lisak, & Reichenbach, 2006; National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, n. d.). This population experiences a high rate of mental health and substance use disorders, chronic health conditions, and brain injury (Topolovec-Vranic et al., 2017). Health care and housing programs have been implemented in order to address the specific needs of those experiencing homelessness and minimize the barriers to housing and health management (Aubry et al., 2015; Zlotnick, Zerger, & Wolfe, 2013). Although these programs have seen success in increasing housing and health care access, needs remain unmet: individuals require ongoing support to successfully transition into housing, improve their health, and integrate into the community (Cherner, Aubry, & Ecker, 2017; Tsai, Mares, & Rosencheck, 2012).
Occupational therapy interventions can address the .additional needs of these programs by providing evaluations of cognition and function and through the implementation of interventions with clients to increase independent living skills. Occupational therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in addressing the functional needs of those with mental health diagnoses, brain injury, and chronic health conditions, as well as with individuals living within homeless shelter settings (Gibson, Jaffe, D’Amico, & Arbesman, 2011; Ikiugu, Nissen, Bellar, Maassen, & Van Peursem, 2017; Phelan, Williams, Penninx, LoGerfo, & Leveille, 2004; Powell et al., 2016; Radomski, Anheluk, Barzen, & Zola, 2016; Roy et al., 2017; Thomas, Gray, & McGinty, 2011).
An occupational therapy program was developed within a health care agency specifically serving those experiencing homelessness. This program was designed to meet the needs of the agency and its clients by increasing access to functional rehabilitation services. Occupational therapy services increased access for clients to function-based interventions, improved inter-disciplinary care, and increased knowledge of functional and cognitive abilities of clients. The significance of the outcomes of this occupational therapy program were evaluated in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of this model and provide further evidence into the efficacy of occupational therapy interventions within health care settings serving adults experiencing homelessness. / 2020-10-23T00:00:00Z
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/32722 |
| Date | 24 October 2018 |
| Creators | Synovec, Caitlin Emma |
| Contributors | Jacobs, Karen |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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