Occupational Therapy and Occupational Participation in Community Dwelling Older Adults: A Review of the Evidence

Abstract

Aims: To review recent occupational therapy literature to establish the current level of evidence on how occupation may influence participation and may prevent or reduce social isolation in community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and over. Methods: Pertinent electronic databases were comprehensively searched using a guiding search strategy and inclusion criteria. Data extraction and quality assessment was conducted on included studies. Results: 14 studies were included in the review. The occupational domains within the studies that contributed to social participation or social isolation included instrumental activities of daily living, education, leisure, work and social participation. Conclusions: Evidence is emerging within recent literature to support a positive relationship between occupations, social participation and the prevention of social isolation in community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and over. Evidence supports the highly relevant and valuable role of occupational therapy in facilitating healthy aging through supporting social participation and addressing social isolation for the increasingly aging global population.

Keywords:

• occupation
• aging
• social participation
• social isolation

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article