As the population ages and individuals with serious illnesses continue to live longer, they are experiencing disruptions in habits and routines, roles, and rituals that provide meaning to their lives. Many individuals receiving palliative or hospice care and their family members are unable to maintain their quality of life (QOL) and well-being due to the negative impact of the serious illness. Individuals and their family caregivers experience difficulty in participating and engaging in activities of daily living (ADLs) (i.e., dressing, bathing, eating) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) (i.e., making meals, working, finances). Individuals are unable to maintain their independence, return home due to environmental barriers, and receive support from family members due to a lack of training. Family caregivers are thrust into the role of caring for their loved ones without training. Currently, there is an increased need for more health professionals to work in palliative and hospice care. Occupational therapy is one profession that can fill this gap; however, there is a lack of education for occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) at both the entry and post-professional levels.
Occupational Therapy in Palliative and Hospice Care: A Certificate Program contains key components of related professional certification programs in palliative care. Program content aligns with palliative care principles and specific evidence-based occupational knowledge so OTPs will become integral interprofessional palliative care team members. It aims to demonstrate occupational therapy's value in this setting and prepare OTPs to work successfully. Modules provide the foundational information needed to facilitate the use of the principles of palliative care, understand the clients, collaborate with members of the interprofessional team, and provide meaningful occupational interventions during this transition. This program addresses the gap and need for occupational engagement, health promotion, and occupational justice for these individuals and their family members at the end-of-life (EOL).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/49189 |
| Date | 27 August 2024 |
| Creators | Alcorn-Borodach, Kara Lynn |
| Contributors | Stone Kelly, Lauren |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ |
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