Lifestyle Matters An Occupational Approach to Health and Well being in Later Life

1
Lifestyle MattersAn Occupational Approach to
Health and Well being in Later Life

• Gail Mountain and Claire Craig
• Sheffield Hallam University
• United Kingdom

2

• You didnt give me a new lease of life you gave
  me back my life
• Jean

3
The Evidence
The Well Elderly study Lifestyle
Redesign University of Southern California Clark
F et al (1997) Occupational Therapy for
independent older living adults a randomised
controlled trial. Journal of the American
Medical Association, 278, 1321-1326
4
Research Found That.

• Participants experienced benefit health,
  function and quality of life
• Benefit was sustained six months later
• The interventions were cost effective

5
The importance of Ageing Well

• Active ageing and prevention of ill health in
  older people is a priority for policy makers
  across Europe
• But also
• Beautiful Old Age
• It ought to he lovely to be old
• To be full of the peace that comes of experience
• And wrinkled life fulfilment.
• DH Lawrence

6
Lifestyle Redesign

• Would this programme work with community living
  older people in one city in the UK?

7
The programme
The underlying philosophy - understanding the
relationship between occupation (meaningful
activity), health and well-being
8
Lifestyle Matters..

• Older people coping with the cumulative effects
  of ageing, disability and environment
• Strong sense of determination to engage in new
  and re-engage in longstanding occupations
• Achievements in the context of the challenges and
  identified goals for each individual

9
A model of preventive health group and
individual interventions
Didactic teaching
Peer support
Action
Older person as the expert
10
The Involvement of Older People

• An integral part of the design and undertaking
  of the study in Sheffield comments from advisory
  group members

There needs to a section on family relationships
in the manual
Lifestyle Redesign sounds like plastic surgery!
We dont have to be doing activities all the
time old age is a time for reflection
11
Components of Lifestyle Matters (1)

• Beginnings celebration
• Activity and health
• The ageing process and activity
• Personal energy, time and activity
• Goals realising hopes and wishes
• Pulling things together how is activity related
  to health

12
Components of Lifestyle Matters (2)

• Maintaining mental wellbeing
• Sleep as an activity
• Keeping mentally active
• Memory
• Maintaining physical wellbeing
• Nutrition
• Pain
• Keeping physically active

13
Components of Lifestyle Matters (3)

• Occupation in the home and community
• Transportation
• Opportunities for new learning
• Experiencing new technologies
• Safety in and around the home
• Keeping safe in the community
• Keeping safe in the home

14
Components of Lifestyle Matters (4)

• Personal circumstances
• Dealing with finance
• Social relationships and maintaining friendships
• Dining as an activity
• Interests and pastimes
• Caring for others, caring for self
• Spirituality
• Endings

15
Example of one Topic Keeping Mentally Active

• The aims-
•  
• To understand the relationship between mental
  activity and health
• Identify opportunities for mental stimulation
  within everyday roles and routines
• Use existing skills as well as look for
  opportunities for new learning
•  

16
Example of One Topic Dining

• Aims to help group members to
• Reflect on their present eating habits and dining
  routines
• Consider the difference between eating and dining
  as an activity
• Explore places to eat within the local community
• Consider how dining can promote social contact

17
Dining examples of activities

• Incorporate dining into each group session
• Hold a food tasting session
• Create a food cook book
• Sample dishes from different cultures
• Explore places to eat in the local community

18
(No Transcript)
19
What older people have said about the programme
I've learnt to appreciate life as it comes
I now have a more independent attitude
I have learnt to know my capabilities
20
It is constructive not like other groups
Everyone should have the opportunity to come to a
group like this one
I've discovered that I am not alone
21
Preliminary findings

• Older people living in the UK do want a programme
  of this nature
• Individuals participating in the programme have
  taken significant steps to achieving their
  individual goals

22
Participant Experiences

• The story of Jean......
• The story of Yvonne......
• The story of Maggie.......

23
Setting up a Programme things to consider

• Recruitment of older people
• Participation of older people and others
• Who will deliver the programme and how will they
  be prepared

24
Setting up a Programme more things to consider

• Length of time the programme will run for
• Practicalities venue, transport, materials
  refreshments
• Time for recording progress, for reflection and
  for supervision
• Plan the ending well in advance

25
To contact us

• Dr. Gail Mountain, Director of Centre for Health
  and Social Care Research Sheffield Hallam
  University Tel [phone]
• E-mail g.a.mountain_at_shu.ac.uk
• Claire Craig, Senior Lecturer and Researcher,
  Sheffield Hallam University Tel [phone]
• E-mail c.craig_at_shu.ac.uk
• Or do visit our website at www.lifestylematters.in
  fo

26
Lifestyle Matters Goes to Europe

• Participating Countries-
• Belgium
• Georgia
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• The UK England and Scotland

27
Project Aims

• To develop culturally relevant versions of a
  manual for each of the participating countries
• To involve older people and occupational
  therapists in the validation of the content of
  country specific manuals
• To use the work as a basis for exchange regarding
  in occupation across different countries

28
Project Aims cont

• To develop a comparative study of the use of
  lifestyle redesign for older people across Europe
  
• To use the process and outcomes of the work to
  develop a range of materials for undergraduate
  and post graduate occupational therapy education
  across Europe
•  

29
What have we achieved so far?

• An abstract accepted for the WFOT conference,
  Sydney 2006
• First draft produced of a comparative paper by
  all partners The Ageing Population in Six
  European Countries How should occupational
  therapy respond?
• Progress made with individual goals in each of
  the participating countries

30
For more information about the Europe

• Contact
• Patricia De Vriendt patricia