Learn how occupational therapists with requisite knowledge, skills, and creativity can make significant contributions to injury and accident prevention, to health child and adolescent development, to healthy adult adaptation and aging, and to health promotion in many areas of life. In response to the call for occupational therapists to extend their services to new areas of practice, this timely book addresses some of the topics associated with developing and implementing preventive and health promotion services. Leading authorities examine the costs and economic factors associated with health care, discuss marketing strategies for occupational therapy services, make recommendations to facilitate development of occupational therapy services in wellness and health promotion, and highlight new models of practice, including one that extends traditional mental health occupational therapy services from the hospital into the community and another that creates new forms of services for health promotion and injury prevention in an industrial setting. An annotated bibliography includes reviews and efficacy studies exploring the potential benefits of exercise on physical and mental health. Although occupational therapists have a unique body of knowledge and skills that generally address the occupational, emotional, social, intellectual, and physical dimensions of their patients, the editors and contributing authors to Occupational Therapy: Program Development for Health Promotion and Preventive Services advocate the importance of acquiring additional information--and even advanced education--before assuming responsibility for preventive or health promotion programs.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IN the PROMOTION OF HEALTH and WELLNESS

For occupational therapists who want to incorporate health promotion or prevention into their practices, here is a thought-provoking new volume. Health Promotion and Preventive Programs highlights existing models of occupational therapy practice, targeting populations ranging from infants to the elderly, that incorporate principles of prevention and health promotion into traditional health care practice arenas. This important new book describes a variety of occupational therapy services, each of which uses principles of primary, secondary, or tertiary prevention principles, including a health education program for parents of well babies and toddlers, a community outreach program for preschool children who are at risk for emotional problems, a community support group formed by adults who have been hospitalized for psychiatric illnesses, a program designed to prevent industrial accidents through on-the-job training, and a home safety program for the elderly. The effective case study approach will allow occupational therapists to learn about and compare various models of practice, and includes elements necessary for development, organization, and design of health promotion and disease prevention programs. Together the chapters provide theoretical concepts of health promotion and injury prevention and offer a framework by which professionals can analyze material, determine whether or not programs can be appropriately replicated, or design new and original occupational therapy programs having a focus on health promotion and/or disease prevention.

This important new text provides a framework for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants that can be applied in all children and youth practice settings. The content lays a foundation for conceptualizing the role of occupational therapy in mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention when working with children and youth-those with and without disabilities, mental illness, or both-in schools and community settings. Reflecting a public health approach to occupational therapy services at the universal, targeted, and intensive levels, the emphasis is on helping all children develop and maintain positive affect, positive psychological and social functioning, productive activities, and resilience in the face of adversity.

Advanced therapies and technologies, new service delivery methods, and care upgrades in underserved areas are translating into improved quality of life for millions with disabilities. Occupational therapy parallels this progress at the individual level, balancing short-term recovery and adaptation with long-term independence and well-being. This Second Edition of the International Handbook of Occupational Therapy Interventions builds on its ground-breaking predecessor by modelling current clinical standards rooted in scientific evidence-based practice. Its interventions are applied to a diverse range of client disabilities, with many new or rewritten chapters on workplace and vehicle accommodations, smart home technologies, end-of-life planning, and other salient topics. New introductory chapters spotlight core competencies in the field, from assessing client needs and choosing appropriate interventions to evaluating programs and weighing priorities. And for increased educational value, interactive case studies allow readers an extra avenue for honing clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. Of particular note is a new chapter providing a taxonomy—the Occupational Therapy Intervention Framework—and a validation study of its categories and concepts, delineating the occupational therapist’s roles and the expected outcomes. Intervention areas featured in the Handbook include: ● Adaptive interventions, OTs manage and facilitate clients’ adaptations. ● Learning interventions, OTs teach and the clients learn or relearn. ● Enabling interventions, OTs enable clients to be meaningfully occupied. ● Preventing interventions, OTs prevent ill-health and promote clients’ ability to sustain health in daily life. The Second Edition of the International Handbook of Occupational Therapy Interventions is career-affirming reading for all members of rehabilitation teams, including occupational and physical therapists and rehabilitation nurses. Students intending to enter this growing field and professionals working toward its continued improvement will find it useful and inspiring.