Reflection

I have enjoyed creating this blog and hope it has been helpful to anyone who reads it. I really enjoyed learning about how quickly the older population is growing and how occupational therapists can use meaningful occupations with them to help prevent them becoming ill. I hope people will be able to see that older people enjoy being active in retirement and that being active is actually often better for a persons' health! In this blog I have covered information on the ageing population, meaningful occupation, succesful ageing, retirement and older people seeking more active lives during retirement.

Photo retrieved from: tycgiddings.yolasite.com

On reflection I can now see our older population is increasing very quickly and as a future health professional I must be aware of this as I will be coming into contact with older people more often because of this. I have also found that learning about older peoples' varying needs and values will become more important to our profession as they grew up in a different time to me and may have different views and values. However in saying this I have drawn my greatest learning from the fact that older people can benefit from being involved in activities and that more and more older people are choosing to be active once retired. The satisfaction and social inclusion older people feel from being engaged in occupation I feel is something than can be overlooked as older people can often be left to their own devices in retirement homes or their own homes. I can see that occupational therapists have a simple but effective intervention in meaningful occupation. The benefits of inclusion of meaningful occcupations into the lives of older people include social, physical and cognitive benefits which are all positive results of this intervention. Due to it being a client-centred and meaningful approach I feel it can continue to be used with older people to give them a fulfilling and inclusive retirement and give older people the opportunity to age successfully!

Why Are Older People Seeking More Once Retired?

Photo retrieved from: http://www.cardi.ie/

One reason older people are doing more once they are retired is due to the need for interaction with others. Social interaction has many benefits for the older population including:

• In times of need they can find help from others with everyday tasks
• Provides conversation with others
• Allows for friendships to be built
• Caring about others gives another reason for living
• Keeps life interesting and gives life a purpose
• By remaining involved with others it is less likely older people will become isolated which can be devastating for a persons' physical and mental health (Stern & O'Boyle, 2002).

As stated by Stern and O'Boyle (2002) “Humans require positive meaningful interactions with other humans. Lack of stimulation from these types of interactions can lead to depression and cause memory problems.”  As well as this older people feel valued when they are contributing to society, be it paid or unpaid activity. If their contribution is appreciated by others the older person will find value in themselves (Stern & O'Boyle, 2002). This is why it is my opinion that meaningful occupations are a beneficial intervention to use with older people to prevent them from becoming ill. Occupations that older people can continue to participate in will prevent them from becoming socially isolated and give them a purpose in life which Stern and Boyle (2002) highlight is crucial in preventing depression and cognitive decline. I have learnt that older people often continue to participate in voluntary work or help out with community projects to continue to find some meaning from their days. Even something as simple as attending school galas or making a bird feeder for a friend gives an older person some meaning as they are involved and giving back to society. We all find meaning from the things we do and our daily occupations are occupations we value and we often feel at a loss if we loose an occupation from our lives. Age should not be a barrier to participation, even frailer older people with chronic illness can still be involved in physical activity. Furthermore Nay and Garratt (2009) identify that "strategies to improve older people's participation in physical activity have the potential to achieve a range of health benefits" (p.191). After studying this topic it now is my opinion that meaningful occupations can definitely benefit the older population and keep them happier and healthier for longer.

I found this website very interesting to look through: http://www.cardi.ie/. It is a website designed by the organisation CARDI: Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland. It has a number of articles regarding more older people working in retirement and a number of very relevant articles on the ageing population globally. CARDI has the mission to:

"advocate for and advance the ageing research agenda by identifying, coordinating, stimulating, and communicating strategic research on ageing and older people as a means to improve the lives of older people in Ireland (North and South) especially those who are disadvantaged".

CARDI (2010).

Note: Although CARDI is an orginization based in Ireland I saw that the research they have done and a number of their articles are very relevant to items discussed in my blog.

References:

CARDI. (2010). About us. In About us. Retrieved November 24, 2011, from http://www.cardi.ie

Nay, R., & Garratt, S. (2009). Older People: Issues and Innovations in Care (3rd ed., pp. 191-196). Victoria, Australia: Churchill Livingstone.

Stern, S., & O'Boyle, R. (2002). Successful Aging: Optimizing Life in the Second Half. In Successful Aging: Optimizing Life in the Second Half. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://www.ec-online/

101 Ways to Retire--or Not

 

Life after leaving the workforce

"Success in managing the changes that accompanied ageing...was in large part determined by the extent to which people were able to maintain interdependent lives : being able to view themselves as both givers and receivers of emotional, social and practical support"

 (Godfrey et al, 2004, as cited by Tanner & Harris, 2008, p. 10).

The youtube video above displays some lovely older people talking about their view on retirement and I think it demonstrates how older people are wanting to be more active once they retire. It also shows how older people often continue to enjoy being active during retirement and how the view of retirement is slowly changing. Older people are working in retirement more often and are getting out there and keeping active!

 According to Fingerman (2011) people retire "when income and assests allow them to; or they retire when their physical health begins to fail and they can no longer work" (p.220). Older people often find it a struggle to transition from employment to retirement. With retirement a person loses a number social and work roles that they may have had all of their life. They have to transition from a productive working life to a hopefully relaxed retirement . Retirement can be classified as one of the most difficult transitions due to the huge adjustments we need to make in this stage of our lives (Baby Boomers Planning for Retirement, 2010). Our work provides us with a sense of identity and provides us with a structured day where we know what to expect frome each day. Work gives a person the opportunity to give back to society by being an effective member of the workforce and thus a part of society. However once older people get to a certain age they  retire and there can be benefits and pitfalls because of this transition. Often older people lose some purpose from their lives. It is crucial to older peoples' well-being that their lives have a meaningful purpose. Activities and social relationships and maintaining structure in their day are highly valued by older people (Tanner & Harris, 2008).

As the population is ageing there has been a steady decrease in the working age population resulting in a workforce dominated by older workers and less educated youth. If this continues it is said there will be a economy that does not grow (Morgan & Kunkel, 2011).Giving older people oppportunity to participate in occupations could possibly improve the overall economy due to health benefits associated with being active. Furthermore more older people are participating in part time work or voluntary work once they have retired as the youtube clip above highlighted.

Another factor to take into account is that due to the fact we are all living longer those that are retired will be retired for a longer amount of time as the website  http://www.baby-boomers-planning-for-retirement.com (2010) states "retirees can expect to live 20-30 years in retirement, which is a good one-third of your life". This is why it is my opinion that older people need to be given the opportunity to take part in activities they enjoy. I still think society's view needs to continue to change regarding what older people "should do" once they retire. I feel that just because someone retires it doesn't mean they should be cut off from society, on the contrary I feel extra effort should be made to include them and those seniors which remain active should be appreciated. Instead of telling them to 'take it easy',  push them a little more to remain active as in the end it will benefit their health and make them feel better throughout retirement. If we help support older people to remain active  and independent it will benefit our economy, benefit health professions and most importantly benefit the older population as "it is increasingly important that older people, who are a growing proportion of the population, remain independent and healthy during their retirement" (Massey University, 2007).

References:

Baby Boomers Planning for Retirement. (2010). The Retirement Transition. In Planning for retirement. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://www.baby-boomers-planning-for-retirement.com

Fingerman, K. (2011). Handbook of life-span development (pp. 220-231). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Massey University. (2007). Understanding retirement. In Health, work and retirement study. Retrieved November 23, 2011, from http://hwr.massey.ac.nz/study-info.htm

Morgan, L. A., & Kunkel, S. R. (2011). Aging, society, and the life course (4th ed., pp. 176-180). New York, IL: Springer Publishing Company.

Tanner, D., & Harris, J. (2008). Working with older people (pp. 10-16). New York, NY: Routledge.

Jobs For Elderly Who Want To Work After Retirement

This is a great youtube clip about  a website that is dedicated to hiring retired workers. It will lead onto my next post which discusses the transition form the workforce to retirement. I hope you enjoy it and begin to see that older people are still willing and able to be active once they have retired!

The Activity Theory of Ageing

Photo retrieved from:http://www.urlesque.com

Successful ageing can occur as a result of involvement in activities.

(McIntyre & Atwal, 2005)

The activity theory of ageing has the core idea that if a person is involved in activities they are more likely to age successfully. After studying the theory of succesful ageing and then this theory of activity it was becoming more clear to me that activity is crucial in order for a person to age well. The more active you are the less chance there is of  a person becoming ill. This further backed up my previous knowledge regarding how meaningful occupations can be to a person. I had already understood the importance of a person being occupied but I now see how older people often need extra help getting involved with society and that the older population are often overlooked in regards to their physical and social needs.

Active ageing is believed to "extend healthy life expectancy and quality of life for all people as they age" (WHO, 2011). As most occupations are associated with some physical or social aspect it became obvious to me that occupations like lawn bowls, tai chi and gardening may seem simple and unimportant, but these occupations can actually improve an older persons overall health. An example of this is weeding the garden which would improve mental health by stimulating the brain and provide them with a sense of satisfaction once all of the garden is tidy. As with lawn bowls, which gives the individual a chance to socialize with others, and get physically active. I think that occupational therapists are very aware of the fact that every person has a need to "do" and our unique occupational perspective can be used well with the older population to get them active and thus prevent them from acquiring further illness. Even if the occupation being used does not require a huge amount of physical effort it will still be beneficial  if it has meaning to the person as "even activities with little or no physical exertion have psychosocial and physiological benefits that reduce stress and positively influence the immune response in the older person ( Mackenzie & O' Toole, 2011, p.11).

References:

Mackenzie, L., & O'Toole, G. (2011). Occupation analysis in practice (pp. 11-15). Ames: IA: Blackwell Publishinging Ltd.

McIntyre, A., & Atwal, A. (2005). Introduction. In A. McIntyre & A. Atwal (Eds.), Occupational therapy and older people. (pp. 1-13). Oxford: Blackwell publishing Ltd.

WHO. (2011). What is active ageing?. In Aging and life course . Retrieved November 21, 2011, from http://www.who.int/healthinfo

How Meaningful Occupations Promote Successful Ageing

While completing the 'Contemporary Occupational Therapy Practice' paper I learnt alot about the importance of an older person ageing successfully. For a person to age successfully there is an  "avoidance of disease and disability , maintenance of cognitive function and sustained engagement in life" (Rowe & Kahn, 1997 as cited by Pizzi & Smith ,2010, p.457). Basically this means that the individual will age in a healthy way and not become ill as so many of the older population do. Meaningful occupation can be used with older people to help them age successfully as occupation can get the person physically and mentally active which many of the literature highlights is a key component of keeping older people healthy!

 Photo retrieved from: http://www.altergroup.com

Many studies done have shown that overall physical activity can improve happiness and prevent functional decline (Pizzi & Smith, 2010). Meaningful occupation can improve older peoples' participation in society and get them socializing more often and thus engaged with life. I have learnt so far that all occupations require some aspect of social, physical or mental input of the individual completing the occupation. All of these three things are important in keeping a person healthy and from studying this topic I can also see that for older people it is even more important. This is because as a person ages their particpation in society often decreases and if occupational therapists are able to work more with older people to get them involved in more occupations their physical, social and mental well- being can improve. I had not previously realised how benefcial occupations can be towards an older persons health before studying this topic. I can see the more active and involved older people are the more likely they are to remain healthy and happy and by using meaningful occupations older people can get involved while doing something they enjoy. As Robnett & Chop  (2010) state "involvement in enjoyable and productive activity is paramount to productive ageing" (p. 263).

Here are some useful links explaining successful ageing:

http://cas.umkc.edu/casww/sa/whatissa.htm

http://www.ec-online.net/knowledge/Articles/successfulaging.html

CASE STUDY:

While on a placement in my second year I was working on the wards of a hospital with patients who had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and Stroke. The majority of the clients I worked with were older people ranging fom 65 years old onwards. On my second week of placement my superviosr asked me to complete an intial interview with Jane. After reading her file I found out that Jane was a 72 year old woman who had been admitted to hospital after having a fall, but had also just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).

As is common with MS Jane was physcially deteriorating and was finding it difficult to complete her ADL's (activities of daily living) due to muscle weakness. During the interview I gathered alot of information about Jane including:

• Jane had worked all her life as a gardener in the local community until she retired a few months ago
• Jane admitted feeling lonely and withdrawn since retiring 
• Jane didn't know what to do with herself now that she was retired.
• Jane was feeling lost and felt she was just watching the time go by rather then making the most of life
• Jane was a very social person and missed talking with her customers at work

From this I could see that Jane was experiencing some of the common things older people experience when they stop working. I discussed the idea of including some meaningful activities into her day that would give her something to do and make her feel less isolated. She was more than happy to work with me and identify occupations that she would like to do and also find out how we could get her involved in these occupations. After discussion with Jane it was clear she was still passionate about gardening so we decided we would work on incorporating this into her day.

On our next meeting I brought a newspaper in and Jane and I went through it to see if there were any gardening groups or something of the like advertised in there. After a good look through it we did find a small group which gathers three times per week to discuss gardening and do gardening activities. Jane described herself as a very social person and was very keen to partake in this group. On her discharge Jane thanked me for my help and stated that she now felt she wasn't just going home to sit around. She had a smile on her face and stated that it was good to know that she can still get out there and do things especially since I'm "no spring chicken anymore". Jane did continue to go to the gardening group each week and also stated it has helped her learn more about gardening in her own home. She is a great example of how an occupation can easily be incorporated into older peoples' lives to make their life more fulfilling.

References:

Pizzi, M. A., & Smith, T. M. (2010). Promoting succesful ageing through occupation. In M.E. Scaffa, S. M. Reitz & M. A. Pizzi (Eds.), Occupational therapy in the promotion of health and wellness (pp 454- 469). Philadelphia: F A Davis co.

Robnett, R. H., & Chop, W. C. (2010). Gerontology for the health care professional (2nd ed., pp. 263- 264). New York, IL: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Defining Which Occupations Are 'Meaningful'

Here are some bullet points about what I consider to be reasons an occupation/activity may be  meaningful to an individual.

• The occupation provides routine/structure in the persons life
• The individual gets enjoyment from participating in the occupation
• The individual can socialize with others while participating in the occupation
• The individual finds a sense of accomplishment from participating in the occupation
• The occupation helps them to identify them self as an individual
• The occupation gives them a sense of purpose 

Of course there are countless other reasons a person may draw meaning from an occupation but these are the few I found to be the best way to describe meaningful occupation.

Image retrieved from: http://news.bbc.co.uk

During the time I spent studying the information discussed in this blog I came to understand that older people will have much different values and beliefs to that of a younger person. The older people of today grew up in a different time to that of me and participated in different activities than I do in the times we live in now. Therefore I realise it is important to ensure I work alongside any older people to ensure their values and their valued occupations are respected by me.