Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Sclinda Janssen

Keywords

Dementia -- therapy; Occupational Therapy -- education; Occupational Therapy -- methods; Quality of Life

Abstract

The occurrence of dementia has been increasing over the years. It is estimated that the number of people with dementia will increase to more than 45 million within the next 20 years (Ferri et al., 2005). This increase will lead to an increased demand for occupational therapists to work with individuals with dementia within skilled care units to meet the vast needs of this population and promote quality of life. Occupational therapists are skilled in working with people with dementia; yet, most occupational therapists do not feel confident in their role with skilled dementia care. This has been found to be a problem worldwide (Bennett, Shand & Liddle, 2011; Chung & Lai, 2003; Cottrell, 1990; Craik, 1998). Bennett et al. (2011) found that 53% of occupational therapists practicing in Australia are not at all, or are minimally confident in their knowledge of working with people with dementia. A literature review was done to examine the needs of this population and to identify effective occupational therapy interventions. This scholarly project resulted in a manual for occupational therapists to guide evaluation and intervention, which will promote occupational performance and quality of life among people with dementia living in skilled nursing facilities.

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