Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Sonia Zimmerman

Keywords

Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Health Promotion; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders -- complications; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders -- therapy

Abstract

Elderly individuals have a predisposition to experiencing sleep disorder, yet many remain untreated. Consequences of untreated sleep disturbance may result in decreased cognitive functioning, lowered perceived quality of life, and loss of independence. A literature review describes the definition of sleep, consequences of sleep disorder, sleep disturbance in the elderly population, intervention efficacy, principles of gerogogy, and the role of occupational therapy in sleep intervention.

The scholarly project presents a manual designed for use with well-elderly populations and intended to be guided and/or distributed by occupational therapists. The manual is entitled “Take Control of Your Sleep: An Occupational Therapy Manual to Improve Sleep Quality in Elderly Individuals” is a synthesis of cognitive-behavioral strategies and complimentary interventions aimed at life-style change and increased knowledge of sleep processes in elderly individuals. The Model of Human Occupation is selected to serve as a foundation for the sleep manual and addresses concepts of personal values and desires (volition), sleep routines (habituation), and metacognition (performance capacity), as well as attention to the sleep environment. The cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) approach is well-supported in the research literature for its application to the selected population and is the main intervention strategy used throughout the sleep manual. Principles of gerogogy specific to older adult learning are utilized to guide the development of chapter content in the self-help manual.

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