Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 1 of 1
Teaching transfer skills to older adults: identification of strategies used by occupational therapists
- Authors:
- CARRIER Annie, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(11), November 2011, pp.500-508.
- Publisher:
- Sage
It is important that community occupational therapists use optimal teaching strategies to achieve the best outcomes for the client in the, often limited, time available for an intervention. This study was designed to identify the strategies used by occupational therapists when teaching transfer skills to older adults in the community. Eleven community occupational therapists were recruited from six health and social services centres in Québec, Canada. Home visits (n=12), during which 31 teaching situations were observed, were followed immediately by in-depth semi-structured interviews with the occupational therapists involved in the teaching. Strategies observed included nine methods, eight tools and nine intensity adjustments. The methods were explaining, demonstrating, having the client try, giving feedback on performance, involving the client, seeking and obtaining client's feedback, questioning, and involving a teaching assistant. Explaining was the primary method used. Tools varied according to the teaching method. These tools were gestures, equipment, visual aids, written, verbal and somatosensory instructions, assistant as client and occupational therapist as client. Intensity adjustments were related to the scope, directedness, duration, frequency and pace of teaching. The authors believe this is one of very few empirical descriptions of the teaching methods used by occupationally therapists.