Judith Knight

An Investigation into the Leisure Occupations of Older Adults

Participating in leisure is known to enhance physical wellbeing, mental health and social functioning. There is, however, little knowledge of the current level of engagement in leisure occupations by older adults in the United Kingdom. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the current leisure occupations of adults over 60 years who considered themselves to be healthy and to identify the motivations that underpinned participation in those occupations. Structured interviews were conducted with 70 adults with a mean age of 72 years. The majority of the participants (51, 73%) reported engaging in leisure occupations. The range of leisure occupations was wide and included walking, sailing, listening to music, emailing and volunteering. Of these, 23% were active leisure, 18% passive leisure, 24% social leisure, 20% hobbies and 15% other leisure occupations. Content analysis was adopted to explain the motivators for taking part in these leisure occupations. It was found that enjoyment, pleasure and relaxation were the key motivators. This study shows that the majority of well older people are participating in leisure occupations and feeling positive about doing so. Further research is required to establish the role that occupational therapists can have in encouraging older adults to continue with or develop new leisure occupations to enhance health and quality of life.

An empirical study to identify older adults’ engagement in productivity occupations

Abstract There is little knowledge of the current level of engagement in productivity occupations by older adults in the United Kingdom. The aim of this study, therefore, was to explore the current productivity occupations of adults over 60 years who consider themselves to be healthy and the motivations that underpin those occupations. Structured interviews were conducted with 70 adults with a mean age of 72. Content analysis was used to explain productivity, occupational choices and motivators. The participants identified five roles and occupations they considered to be work: home‐maker, volunteer, carer, paid employee and student, with most holding a home‐maker role. Altruism and pleasure were reported as the most important motivators for engaging in productivity occupations. Further research is required to explore the possible link between pre‐retirement work roles and the productivity choices made in later life.

A Fieldwork Award: Rewarding Excellence in Practice

Fieldwork is a substantial and compulsory component of a first-degree programme in occupational therapy. A student must demonstrate competence in fieldwork in order to practise. This vital element of the course receives little recognition. Fieldwork is either marked on a pass/fall basis or included in the degree classification. This is hardly satisfactory because neither student nor prospective employer has a clear indication about competence to practise, other than that the student has attained the minimum level to graduate. This article seeks to show how the occupational therapy course at Nene-University College in Northampton has addressed the problem. Students are now able to demonstrate excellence in fieldwork with a separate fieldwork award in addition to the normal degree classification.

A debate on the professional identity of occupational therapists

Introduction The issue of occupational therapy’s professional identity has been debated for many years and continues today. Lack of clarity has resulted in occupational therapists’ perceptions of holding a low status and of colleague and public misunderstanding. Method A range of international literature was reviewed. Inductive analysis elicited two major themes – reasons for issues with identity and the consequences of issues with identity. The development of communities of practice is discussed. Results The analysis of the causes and consequences of issues with professional identity was used to suggest how the profession might become a mature community of practice. Lack of deep knowledge of the profession’s unique beliefs was shown to cause inconsistent messages about its identity. Consequently, practitioners believed they were undervalued. Understanding, owning and reinforcing an occupational paradigm were seen as vital elements for creating professional communities of practice. Conclusion To function as a community of practice requires occupational therapists to use a range of strategies that reinforce their unique occupation-based practice. Where all members commit to a single set of values and beliefs this can afford a unique identity, reinforced by the ability to demonstrate and articulate this through a clear, single message.

Assessment of fieldwork practice: The student experience

Assessment of fieldwork is common to all occupational therapy courses. This form of competency based assessment has been researched across many healthcare professions. Work on the appraisal of fieldwork assessments used by occupational therapy courses in the United Kingdom is just beginning. At the present time there appears a gap in information concerning the experience of fieldwork assessment from the students perspective. This article seeks to address this by reporting the findings of a qualitative study of third year undergraduate occupational therapy students at University College Northampton to investigate their experience of being assessed on fieldwork. The results showed that students expressed high levels of acceptance with the primary fieldwork assessment, the fieldwork profile. However they displayed some concern about its reliability. A major influence on the assessment process was seen to be the fieldwork educator and the supervisory relationship. In general older students appeared to have a greater degree of control over both the assessment process and the supervisory relationship. As a result of the study it would appear that a national exploration of the assessments used to assess competence of occupational therapy graduates could be beneficial to the profession.

A quantitative analysis of self‐rated health and occupational aspects of community‐dwelling older adults

This study investigated relationships between self‐rated health and variables concerning pre‐retirement occupation, type of dwelling, and religious involvement in community‐domiciled older adults. Data were collected from 230 men and women, aged 60 and over, using a modified version of the Occupational Performance History Interview. Significant outcomes included an inverse relationship between self‐rated health and age, a higher health rating for house (i.e. multi storey) compared with bungalow dwellers, and a positive relationship between health and approximate seniority of preretirement occupation. Additionally, the analyses revealed that significantly more women than men reported involvement with religion. These findings add to the data previously obtained on productivity and leisure occupations. As the population of retirees increases, it is important that those involved in the care of older adults, as well as older people themselves, have as much information as possible to ensure that life in senescence is rewarding, productive, and satisfying.

Assessment of fieldwork practice

Assessment of fieldwork is common to all occupational therapy courses. This form of competency based assessment has been researched across many healthcare professions. Work on the appraisal of fieldwork assessments used by occupational therapy courses in the United Kingdom is just beginning. At the present time there appears a gap in information concerning the experience of fieldwork assessment from the student’s perspective. This article seeks to address this by reporting the findings of a qualitative study of third year undergraduate occupational therapy students at University College Northampton to investigate their experience of being assessed on fieldwork. The results showed that students expressed high levels of acceptance with the primary fieldwork assessment, the fieldwork profile. However they displayed some concern about its reliability. A major influence on the assessment process was seen to be the fieldwork educator and the supervisory relationship. In general older students appeared to have a greater degree of control over both the assessment process and the supervisory relationship. As a result of the study it would appear that a national exploration of the assessments used to assess competence of occupational therapy graduates could be beneficial to the profession.