The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the perception of interdisciplinary staff members regarding the impact of a model work and independent living oriented program for residents in supportive living facilities. This study used focus groups and individual interviews to collect these perceptions. Staff members identified four areas of impact: utilization of a holistic and process...

Children's preparation for adult roles and independent living occur largely through participation with their families in home routines including household tasks. This preparation may involve learning related to family roles, socialization, and occupational performance. This study was designed to explore the extent to which child, environmental, and task factors are associated with household tas...

This paper describes an occupational therapy independent living skills programs for adults with developmental disabilities living in group homes. Four clients have participated in this program for 1 year. Verbal reports from house and workshop staffs and written documentation in the clients' records were examined to see if the clients' behaviors changed over the course of their first year in th...

This article outlines and summarizes the rationale and the working process that was undertaken by the National Spina Bifida Program to address the issues of transitioning throughout the life course for persons growing up with spina bifida. Their challenges include achieving independent living, vocational independence, community mobility, and participation in social activities, and health manage...

OBJECTIVES To improve reliability of salivary bacterial cultures as a surrogate for plaque levels of cariogenic bacterial species by reporting the salivary CFUs of these organisms as a function of the number of teeth. DESIGN Cross-sectional collection of data in a convenience sample of adults over 60 years of age. SETTING Hospital Dental clinic, University bacteriology laboratory. SUBJECT...

Recovery is the new vision for mental health services, in which two definitions of recovery dominate. Firstly, recovery is an outcome; research suggests that many people with serious mental illness learn to cope with their disabilities so they can achieve major life goals related to independent living. Secondly, recovery is a process; it reintroduces such important values as hope, empowerment a...

Ambient assisted living technologies (AAL) are regarded as a promising solution to support aging in place. Yet, their efficacy has to be demonstrated in terms of benefits for independent living and for work conditions of caregivers. Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess the benefits of a multi-task AAL platform for both Frail older Individuals (FIs) and professional caregivers with res...

Arthrogryposis multiplex congenita is a congenital disorder distinguished by generalized joint immobility and skeletal muscle hypoplasia. Although the afflicted individual has normal intelligence, physical constraints often prevent independent living. This case report describes the successful fabrication and placement of a mouthstick prosthesis in a 19-

Balance deteriorates with age, and may eventually lead to falling accidents which may threaten independent living. As Taekwondo contains various highly dynamic movement patterns, Taekwondo practice may sustain or improve balance. Therefore, in 24 middle-aged healthy volunteers (40-71 year) we investigated effects of age-adapted Taekwondo training of 1 h a week during 1 year on various balance p...

Research suggests that people in Eastern interdependent cultures process information more holistically and attend more to contextual information than do people in Western independent cultures. The current study examined the effects of culture and age on memory for socially meaningful item-context associations in 71 Canadians of Western European descent (35 young and 36 older) and 72 native Chin...