Clients’ Perspectives of the Effectiveness of Home Modification Recommendations by Occupational Therapists

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of home modifications from clients’ perspectives. Ten participants who received home assessments and modification recommendations were recruited from a rehabilitation agency. The dimension of home measure and qualitative interviews was conducted. The interviewers were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Participants found home modifications improved their safety, accessibility, privacy, and occupational performance, especially in performing self-care activities. Occupational therapists provided sufficient information and actively involved clients/carers in the decision-making process, which contributed to clients’ perspectives of satisfaction and effectiveness with completed modifications.

Keywords:

• Environment
• home modifications
• occupational therapy
• client satisfaction
• rehabilitation services
• older adults

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the Monash Health Kingston Centre Occupational Therapy Department for providing the opportunity and resources to conduct this research study. We also thank the occupational therapists at Kingston Centre in supporting the participant recruitment process.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.