Implementing person-environment approaches to prevent falls: a qualitative inquiry in applying the Westmead approach to occupational therapy home visits

Common home hazards among healthy older aged adults and potential modifications required for age-friendly housing

INTRODUCTION

The creation of age-friendly home environments enables middle-aged and older aged people to live independently at home while adapting to age-related changes. Little is currently known about existing home hazards that may potentially hinder healthy older people as they age.

METHODS

Prospective cohort study of healthy adults who received an age-friendly home environment assessment conducted by an occupational therapist. Adults aged 60 and over, without significant disability, living in homes within metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia were recruited through community advertising.

RESULTS

Sixty age-friendly home environment assessments were conducted. Common areas where potential hazards were identified, and modifications recommended were bathrooms, toilets and backyards. Gardens were commonly identified as potentially requiring modifications in the future. Participants were more likely to consider moving to new housing if additional modifications were needed to their homes.

CONCLUSION

Affordable and accessible age-friendly housing is required to support an ageing population. Education on age-friendly housing for healthy middle and older aged people is required enabling proactive planning rather than awaiting health crises.

A Process Evaluation of a Fall Prevention Intervention Using the RE-AIM Framework

BACKGROUND

Home hazard removal programs are effective in reducing falls among older adults, but delivery in the United States is limited.

OBJECTIVES

We completed a process evaluation of the Home Hazard Removal Program (HARP), an intervention delivered by occupational therapists.

METHODS

Using the RE-AIM framework (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance), we examined outcomes using descriptive statistics and frequency distribution. We examined differences between covariates using Pearson correlation coefficients and two-sample t tests.

RESULTS

79.1% of eligible older adults participated (reach); they experienced a 38% reduction in fall rates (effectiveness). Ninety percent of recommended strategies were completed (adoption), 99% of intervention elements were delivered (implementation), and 91% of strategies were still used at 12 months (maintenance). Participants received an average of 258.6 minutes of occupational therapy. An average of US$765.83 was spent per participant to deliver the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

HARP has good reach, effectiveness, adherence, implementation, and maintenance and is a low-cost intervention.

The smart-home study: A feasibility study to pilot the use of smartphone technology to identify environmental falls risk factors in the home

Introduction

While occupational therapy home assessments are effective to identify environmental falls risk factors, patients may not receive these services due to workforce distribution and geographical distances. Technology may offer a new way for occupational therapists to conduct home assessments to identify environmental fall risks.

Objectives

To (i) explore the feasability of identifying environmental risk factors using smartphone technology, (ii) develop and pilot a suite of procedures for taking smartphone images and (iii) examine the inter-rater reliability and content validity between occupational therapists when assessing smartphone images using a standardised assessment tool.

Method

Following ethical approval a procedure was developed and participants recruited to submit smartphone images of their bedroom, bathroom and toilet. Two independent occupational therapists then assessed these images using a home safety checklist. Findings were analysed using inferential and descriptive statistics.

Results

Of 100 volunteers screened, 20 individuals participated. A guideline for instructing patients to take home images was developed and tested. Participants averaged 9.00 minutes (SD 4.401) to complete the task, whilst occupational therapists took approximately 8 minutes to review the images. The inter-rater reliability between the two therapists was 0.740 (95% CI: 0.452-0.888).

Conclusion

The study found that use of smartphones was to a large extent feasible and conclude that the use of smartphone technologies is a potential complimentary service to traditional home visits. The effective prescription of equipment in this trial was identified as a challenge. The impact on costs and potential falls incidents remains uncertain and more research is warranted in representative populations.

Occupational therapy services in primary care: a scoping review

AIM

To examine and describe the current evidence about occupational therapy services in primary care.

BACKGROUND

Interprofessional primary care teams have been introduced to support the changing demographics and provide more comprehensive and coordinated care. Occupational therapists have the opportunity to play an important role in this expanding area of practice. To do so, occupational therapists must develop roles built on evidence and a clear understanding of the care delivery context.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted based on the scientific and grey literature. Studies that described or examined the occupational therapy role with clients (individuals, groups, communities, populations) of all ages, conditions or occupational issues in a primary care context and that presented or referred to an occupational therapist working in a primary care setting were included. Studies were excluded if they were not in English or French. The Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement was used to chart the data.

FINDINGS

129 articles were identified, with 62 non-research and 67 research-focussed articles. A total of 268 assessments and 868 interventions were identified. The top interventions offered by occupational therapists were referring to/advocating for/coordinating/linking to and navigating community services (n = 36 articles), chronic disease management (n = 34 articles)/self-management education (n = 28 articles), health promotion (n = 30 articles) and falls prevention (n = 27 articles). The predominant focus in the literature is on adult and older adult populations.

Implementing best practice occupational therapist‐led environmental assessment and modification to prevent falls: A qualitative study of two regional and rural public health services in Australia

BACKGROUND

Occupational therapist-led environmental assessment and modification (EAM) is effective in reducing falls for populations at high risk. Two regional and rural public health services in Queensland devised an implementation strategy to embed best practice occupational therapist-led EAM.

METHODS

A qualitative study was conducted to compare the determinants of implementation success across the different health services, using the COM-B model of behaviour change. Six semi-structured interviews were completed with occupational therapists involved at each site, following 12 months of implementation. Interview data were triangulated with minutes from three combined site steering committee meetings, eight local steering committee meetings, and field notes. Thematic analysis was completed to compare barriers and facilitators to best practice uptake of EAM and differences in outcomes between the two sites.

RESULTS

Both sites commenced implementation with similar states of capability and motivation. After 12 months, one site considered that practice change had been embedded as noted in steering committee minutes and comments; however, the other site observed limited progress. According to the COM-B analysis, opportunity (the factors that lie outside the individual's control) had a significant influence on how both sites were able to respond to the practice change and navigate some of the unexpected challenges that emerged, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing team structure, multiple responsibilities of key stakeholders, differences in access to resources, and lack of connection between complementary services meant that COVID-19 disruptions were only a catalyst for unveiling other systemic issues.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the power of external factors on influencing behaviour change for best practice implementation. Learnings from the study will provide deeper understanding of completing implementation projects in regional and rural contexts and support the future implementation of EAM in occupational therapy clinical settings.

Perspectives of older adults with a chronic condition on functioning, social participation and health: a qualitative study

Background

Problems with mobility, functioning and social participation make living independently difficult for frail older adults. To continue living independently, therapy adherence is a prerequisite. The causes for non-adherence among older adults are multiple and complex, which is why insight into older adults’ perspectives regarding their functioning is an essential factor to increase therapy adherence.

This study investigates the perspectives of older adults on their functioning, social participation and health, and the factors influencing these elements.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative study on the older adult’s perceived functioning, social participation and health. Fourteen home-dwelling older adults suffering from chronic health issues were purposively selected.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with open-ended questions.

Data were analysed following the Basic Logical Model of Abduction and Creswell’s coding method.

Results

Assistive devices, the older adult’s dwelling and living environment, professional and informal support, and medication are perceived as important determinants for retaining functioning and social participation.

Attitude, social influence and personal effectiveness were found to influence whether a person performs or participates in an activity. A person’s attitude is related to the significance the activity has to that person, the activity’s importance, personal wellbeing, the person’s values, and their desire for autonomy. Peers and children have a social influence on the level of activity of the older person. Traditions, in particular religious activities, along with personal effectiveness are motivating factors determining whether a person performs or participates in an activity. Personal effectiveness is linked to the person’s belief in their personal competencies and to the relationship between effort and result.

Finally, it appears that the type of coping strategy the older adult adopts, has an influence on their behavior. The participating older adults often used remarkable problem-focused strategies, which had a positive effect on their level of autonomy.

Conclusions

Older adults have identified barriers and facilitators that influence their level of functioning and social participation. These findings help to create a framework for maintaining and increasing therapy adherence, which may be helpful in facilitating occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals to detect determinants of therapy adherence.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-021-02365-w.

Systematic review of determinants influencing knowledge implementation in occupational therapy

INTRODUCTION

In knowledge translation, implementation strategies are more effective in fostering practice change. When using these strategies, however, many determinants, such as individual or organisational factors, influence implementation. Currently, there is a lack of synthesis concerning how these determinants influence knowledge implementation (KI). The aim of this systematic review was to document how determinants influence KI outcomes with occupational therapists.

METHOD

Following the PRISMA statement, we systematically reviewed the literature on KI in occupational therapy across 12 databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, AMED, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library, FirstSearch, Web of Science, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, ERIC, Education Source and Sociological Abstracts. Eligible studies reported KI strategies specifically with occupational therapists. Selected studies were appraised for quality with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), we categorised reported mentions of CFIR (sub-)constructs to identify the determinants studied most often, how they were documented and what influence they had on outcomes.

RESULTS

Twenty-two studies were analysed for this review. CFIR (sub-)constructs were mentioned 81 times, and seven (sub-)constructs received at least 5% of these mentions (4/81). These were as follows: (i) Adaptability of the practice; (ii) Learning climate; (iii) Leadership engagement; (iv) Available resources; (v) Knowledge and Beliefs about the Intervention; (vi) Individual Stage of Change; and vii) Executing the KI strategy. The Inner setting domain was the most documented and the domain with the most (sub-)constructs with at least four mentions (3/7). Most studies used questionnaires as assessment tools, but these were mainly non-standardised scales. The data were too heterogenous to perform a meta-analysis.

CONCLUSION

Seven (sub-)constructs mentioned most often would benefit from being assessed for salience by researchers intending to develop a KI strategy for occupational therapists. Future research aimed at improving our understanding of KI should also consider using standardised tools to measure the influence of determinants.

The effect of facilities management of common areas on the environment domain of quality of life or older people in private buildings

Purpose

The world was facing significant aging challenges. Aging in place has long been advocated which reflected the preference of older people to stay in their own home as long as possible. A huge amount of older people resided in private buildings that consist of both indoor settings (i.e. individual unit flats) and outdoor settings (i.e. common areas like lobby and corridor). The effect of indoor environment on the quality of life of the older people has been investigated, while this paper aims to examine the different effect of common areas environment for the older people.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was administered among over 300 older people living in private buildings. Multiple statistical techniques, including reliability test, correlation coefficient and multiple regression models, were used to analyze the collected data to determine the interactions between facilities management of the common areas in private buildings and the environment domain of quality of life for older people.

Findings

The final results were concluded based on the congruence of all the statistical results, which covered the identification of facilities management factors in common areas of private buildings that could influence the environment domain of quality of life for older people, including overall environment, health-care accessibility, information acquisition and transportation aspects; the overall environment was positively predicted by space and security in common areas of private building; health-care accessibility was positively affected by space, barrier-free facilities and recreational facilities; the information acquisition was only positively predicted by security; transportation was positively predicted by distance and recreational facilities; and building services of common areas in private buildings had no effect on the environment domain of quality of life for older people.

Originality/value

Practical recommendations have been made to improve the facilities management of common areas in private buildings to ensure the quality of life for older people, including provision of walking assistance, motion or infrared controlled systems and so on. This study contributed to enhance current understanding of the interactions between the older people and their living environment.

Working mechanisms of dyadic, psychosocial, activating interventions for people with dementia and informal caregivers: a qualitative study

Background

People living with dementia (PWD) and their informal caregivers often report difficulties in maintaining their usual activities. Several dyadic, psychosocial, activating interventions were developed to create insight into how to cope with limitations in a practical way and to increase skills for maintaining personal activities. Effects of these interventions varied so far. More knowledge on the working mechanisms of activating interventions might help to increase their impact. This study will provide more insights into the working mechanisms of three dyadic, psychosocial, activating interventions as the participating PWD, caregivers, and coaches perceived them during the interventions.

Participants and methods

We used a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews of 34 dyads that included 27 PWD, 34 caregivers, and 19 coaches. The data were analyzed with the constant comparative method.

Results

Many PWD and caregivers found capacity-building approaches beneficial. We identified “empowerment” as the core theme. Three working mechanisms explained why the interventions were perceived as having a beneficial impact: 1) enabling activities without providing false hope; 2) exploring the most important personal activity needs of the PWD and caregivers; and 3) a solution-focused approach to adapt, test, and practice activities. An individualized approach contributed to positive change.

Conclusion

For the overarching working mechanism empowerment, expertise in the field of dementia and psychological skills of coaches seem to be important. Assessing the needs, capacities, and limitations of both the PWD and the caregivers to take part in activities seems to be key, as well as the communication about it and the skills to teach a solution-focused approach. Studies on the impact of psychosocial and activating interventions might benefit from considering outcome measures directed at empowerment, along with aspects such as hope and belief in one’s own capacities versus traditional outcome measures as mood, burden, or quality of life.

Development of the Japanese version of the Westmead Home Safety Assessment for the elderly in Japan

Objective

Home safety assessment and intervention is a key component in the management of fall risk in elderly people. However, a standardised assessment for home safety has not yet been established in Japan. We developed a Japanese version of the Westmead Home Safety Assessment by partially modifying the original version according to house structures and lifestyles in Japan and examined its inter-rater reliability and content validity.

Methods

Japanese elderly in the community who had fear of falls were recruited to investigate the reliability of the Japanese version of the Westmead Home Safety Assessment. Two occupational therapists simultaneously visited a participant's home to perform the Japanese version of the Westmead Home Safety Assessment independently. Further, an expert panel of 18 occupational therapists evaluated the relevance of each item of the Japanese version of the Westmead Home Safety Assessment.

Results

Fifty elderly people (aged 78.2 ± 7.1 years) participated in this reliability study. The most frequent hazards were identified as internal steps/stairs, seating, bathroom, bath, and external steps/stairs. Forty-nine items (69%) in the Japanese version of the Westmead Home Safety Assessment were rated to have fair to good (0.40 < κ < 0.75) or excellent (κ ≥ 0.75) reliability as well as excellent validity (item content validity ≥0.78). These items were concerned with basic activities of daily living and some simple instrumental activities of daily living. The scale content validity was 0.78 ± 0.16 but was not excellent (scale content validity index <0.90).

Conclusions

This study suggested that 49 items in the Japanese version of the Westmead Home Safety Assessment were appropriate for home safety assessment for Japanese elderly. Further research is necessary to improve the reliability and validity of the present version of the Japanese version of the Westmead Home Safety Assessment for this population.

Implementing Evidence-Based Interventions With Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

With the rapid growth of the community-dwelling older adult population, evidence-based occupational therapy interventions targeting older clients need to be effectively implemented. However, little is understood about the factors influencing effective intervention implementation into practice.

METHOD

We performed a scoping review to explore what strategies and factors relate to the uptake of older adult interventions into practice. Concepts from implementation science literature guided our review.

RESULTS

Our review yielded 13 articles that met our search criteria. Study designs examined barriers, facilitators, and strategies related to the implementation of evidence-based older adult interventions into practice. Effective implementation strategies included training sessions, workshops, consultations, and outreach meetings.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that practitioners, administrators, and researchers should adopt strategies such as workshops, consultations, fidelity vignettes, peer mentoring, and standardized training to effectively implement research into practice with older adults.

Perspectives of older people about contingency planning for falls in the community: A qualitative meta-synthesis

Objective

Despite consistent evidence for the positive impact of contingency planning for falls in older people, implementation of plans often fail. This is likely due to lack of recognition and knowledge about perspectives of older people about contingency planning. The objective of this research was to explore the perspectives of older people living in the community about use of contingency planning for getting help quickly after a fall.

Method

A systematic literature search seeking qualitative research was conducted in April 2014, with no limit placed on date of publication. Medline, EMBASE, Ageline, CINAHL, HealthSource- Nursing/Academic Edition, AMED and Psych INFO databases were searched. Three main concepts were explored and linked using Boolean operators; older people, falls and contingency planning. The search was updated until February 2016 with no new articles found. After removal of duplicates, 562 articles were assessed against inclusion and exclusion criteria resulting in six studies for the meta-synthesis. These studies were critically appraised using the McMaster critical appraisal tool. Bespoke data extraction sheets were developed and a meta-synthesis approach was adopted to extract and synthesise findings.

Findings

Three themes of ‘a mix of attitudes’, ‘careful deliberations’ and ‘a source of anxiety’ were established. Perspectives of older people were on a continuum between regarding contingency plans as necessary and not necessary. Levels of engagement with the contingency planning process seemed associated with acceptance of their risk of falling and their familiarity with available contingency planning strategies.

Conclusion

Avoiding a long lie on the floor following a fall is imperative for older people in the community but there is a lack of knowledge about contingency planning for falls. This meta-synthesis provides new insights into this area of health service delivery and highlights that implementation of plans needs to be directed by the older people rather than the health professionals.

Modelizing home safety as experienced by people with mental illness

RATIONALE

As more individuals with mental disorders now live in the community and as the custodial care housing model has shifted to supported housing, home safety has become a rising issue, however, not well documented.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the phenomenon of home safety for people with a mental disorder as well as its contributing factors.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative design was used. Individual interviews were conducted with persons with a mental disorder (n = 8), while focus groups were conducted with relatives, health and social service providers and community stakeholders (n = 21). The data were analyzed with the grounded theory analysis as described by Paillé (1994).

RESULTS

Findings suggest that home safety implies risk and protective factors, which are associated with (1) the person's characteristics; (2) the quality of the home environment; (3) the nature of the activities in which the individual engages. These dimensions are interrelated so that home incidents arise from a dynamic interaction between risk and protective factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Home incidents therefore occur when the interaction between these dimensions is altered. Considering this situation, Occupational Therapists are well positioned to play a leading role and act as key contributors in the area of home safety in people with mental disorders.

A critical review of the effectiveness of environmental assessment and modification in the prevention of falls amongst community dwelling older people

Introduction

The potential of environmental assessment and modification to reduce falls has recently received attention within the gerontology literature. Research investigating the clinical effectiveness of this intervention in falls prevention reports conflicting results. Discrepancies are due to variation in the risk profile of study participants and the health care background of the person providing the environmental intervention or the intensity of the intervention provided.

Method

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two systematic reviews, which include meta-analyses, of environmental interventions for falls prevention in community dwelling older people, using the critical appraisal skills programme tool for systematic reviews.

Findings

Both reviews found that: environmental assessment and modification was effective in falls prevention; intervention was effective with high but not low risk participants; and that high intensity environmental assessment was effective, whereas low intensity intervention was not. Environmental interventions which were delivered by occupational therapists were deemed high intensity, probably because their underpinning theoretical frameworks focus on the impact of the environment on function.

Conclusion

We discuss possible reasons why occupational therapist led environmental assessment and modification is clinically effective in falls prevention, for people at high risk of falls, whereas non occupational therapist led intervention is not.