This #OTalk wants to explore holidays from an occupational lens.
Holidays can be important part of overall occupational routines in an individuals life. They can be aimed at periods of rest or can be more action packed and adventure seeking. They are perhaps most easily defined as a difference in routine (and often but not necessarily, location) from that individuals usual pattern. Despite traditional stereotyped images often associated with holidays, in terms of what is done, when it is done and how it is done, the truth will be that as with other occupational choices each individual will have their own preferences and there will be no one size fits all approach to holidays.
This #OTalk will discuss the following:
What does the word holiday mean for you? and does it have any specific associations?
What do you think are the benefits or challenges of holiday periods?
Do you have any hints, tips or intervention ideas for holidays?
Have you previously considered this topic or included it in your practice of Occupational Therapy? If not, why not?
What have you gained from this #OTalk that will prompt you into further thought or action with regard to holidays for those who you work with or your own life?
As occupational therapists, our profession is based around the basic tenet that occupation influences people’s health and wellbeing, with occupational therapy having the potential to be a health promoting profession (Wilcock 1998). But do we see ourselves as health promoters in our work roles, and if so, what does this mean?
At least 60% of occupational therapists in the UK work in the NHS or adult social care (Health & Care Professions Council 2021), and current pressures on these services have been highlighted through the Royal College of Occupational Therapists’ recent survey (RCOT 2023). Taking all of this into account, it can feel that promoting the health of service users and the wider population through physical activity is a ‘nice to have’, another thing we need to add into our already incredibly busy everyday work as occupational therapists.
But what if it could be different?
What if when you thought about where an occupational therapist works, you thought of a leisure centre, or a golf club, instead of a hospital or clinic? What if knowledge of the benefits of physical activity was embedded in our practice, so it became second nature for this to be part of a standard occupational therapy assessment or intervention?
Seems like a distant dream?
It’s already happening here in the UK! Community Interest Companies (CICs) such as Sport for Confidence, and Golf in Society, are already tackling health inequalities by supporting access to opportunities for physical activity, and building wellbeing, belonging and connection into their communities. An example of this work includes the Prevention & Enablement Model (PEM), a joint initiative between adult social care, Active Essex and Sport for Confidence, which evidences the value of occupational therapy in promoting the health of population including those in care homes and people with learning disabilities. More information on this project can be found in the ‘More Resources’ section below.
For those of us working in statutory services, we can support our service users to consider physical activity by increasing our knowledge of the benefits of movement …
Firstly, let’s define what we mean by physical activity, and talk about what the current guidance for how much physical activity we need. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines physical activity as:
‘any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all movement including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person’s work. Popular ways to be active include walking, cycling, wheeling, sports, active recreation and play, and can be done at any level of skill and for enjoyment by everybody.’ WHO 2022
What are the benefits of regular physical activity? WHO (2022) states that ‘physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being.’
And how much physical activity is recommended on a weekly basis? Here are the WHO (2022) recommendations for children and adults:
Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years
should do at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity, mostly aerobic, physical activity, across the week.
should incorporate vigorous-intensity aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 days a week.
Adults aged 18–64 years
should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity;
or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week
should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits
as part of their weekly physical activity, older adults (65+) should do varied multicomponent physical activity that emphasizes functional balance and strength training at moderate or greater intensity, on 3 or more days a week, to enhance functional capacity and to prevent falls.
In addition, for all age groups, the World Health Organisation recommends limiting the amount of time spent being sedentary.
Back to our focus on occupational therapists as promoters of physical activity … There’s a lot of support from our governing bodies on increasing access to physical activity for clients and communities. The World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), in its statement in response to the Physical Activity Strategy for the WHO European Region (2016), states:
‘Occupational therapists are experts in adapting and grading activities and environments to help remove barriers and facilitate full participation and satisfaction in physical activities.’ (WFOT 2015).
This document also states that OT member organisations, as well as OTs themselves, should be involved in advocacy, supporting access to physical activity:
‘WFOT and its European member organisations are deeply committed to working with governments at all levels, non-governmental organisations and clients to promote societal change and increase physical activity across the life course.’ (WFOT 2015)
This advocacy is very much needed due to the health inequalities that are present in our communities. Focusing on England, Sport England have produced their 10 year vision for reducing health inequalities through sport and physical activity, called ‘Uniting the Movement’. This aims to create more connected, equal and inclusive communities. Check out the ‘more resources’ list below for further information.
In this #OTalk, members of the @MovingOTs account will invite participants to discuss their own experiences of physical activity as part of occupational therapy practice. The @MovingOTs Twitter account is run by members of Sport for Confidence’s National Team, who sharing the learning from Sport for Confidence’s delivery model with organisations from health, sport and leisure; connect OTs to harness good practice; and co-produce training and resources with healthcare organisations and higher education institutions for embedding physical activity into practice. We look forward to seeing you for the #OTalk we’re hosting on Tuesday 27th June 2023!
Here are the questions we’ll be considering during the #OTalk:
Are you promoting health through physical activity in your OT practice? If so, how?
Have you come across any barriers or downsides to including physical activity in your practice?
What evidence are you aware of, that supports using physical activity as part of occupational therapy practice?
At Sport for Confidence, we have a huge focus on co-production. What do you understand by the term ‘co-production’, and how do you use it in your practice?
What questions do you have for the Sport for Confidence and MovingOTs team around tackling health inequalities through physical activity?
2023 sees the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) ‘strengthen’ their equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) commitments (HCPC, 2022). The expectations of registrants are now clear, but how to achieve said expectations, less so.
The number of LGBTQIA+ individuals requiring health and social care support is increasing (Lecompte et al., 2020). As part of HCPC’s (2022) updated standards in relation to EDI, the following is now expected of all registrants: “respond appropriately to the needs of all different groups and individuals in practice, recognising this can be affected by difference of any kind including, but not limited to, protected characteristics, intersectional experiences and cultural differences”. Furthermore, it calls on all registrants to ensure legal literacy surrounding protected characteristics (Equality Act, 2010) and how this applies to practice.
Whilst we can take learning from across the globe, within the UK we lack a rigorous knowledge base surrounding both the experiences and needs of the LGBTQIA+ community accessing occupational therapy services. Further research is required in this area.
You may now be asking yourself how one can practice in a non-discriminatory and inclusive (HCPC, 2022) way when working with members of the LGBTQIA+ community. But first, arguably, you would need to be able to identify when you are working with a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
#OTalk questions:
Question one: Have you/are you currently working with the LGBTQIA+ community?
Question two: Thinking about question one, what leads you to believe/know this?
Question three: Do you routinely consider sexual orientation and/or gender identity when completing your assessments and considering interventions?
Question four: What do you feel would aid/improve your confidence/competence when working with members of the LGBTQIA+ community?
Blog written by: Rachael Daniels (on behalf of LGBQTIA+OTUK)
Lecompte, M., Ducharme, J., Beauchamp, J., & Couture, Mélanie. (2020) ‘Inclusive Practices toward LGBT Older Adults in Healthcare and Social Services: A Scoping Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence’, Clinical Gerontologist, 44, pp.1-12. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2020.186294
We are two OT students conducting a research project titled “Factors influencing the lack of Occupational Therapists in the research field. – A comparative study of OT Academics, Clinicians, and Pre- Registration students “. In light of the barriers and challenges we’ve faced in our research journey in seeking ethical approval, we’ve decided to base this week’s #OTalk topic on gaining ethical approval to undertake research. This blog showcases our first-hand experience with acquiring ethics approval so far and our opinions about how this process can be improved.
Research is a vital aspect of advancing knowledge and improving various fields, but it must be conducted with a strong ethical foundation. In this blog post, we will talk about the significance of ethics in research, focusing on the credibility it lends to studies and the importance of compliance with established standards and guidelines. Additionally, we will explore the barriers researchers may face in obtaining ethical approvals and reflect on the need for improvements in the process.
Ethics serves as the backbone of credible research ensuring the trustworthiness and reliability of findings, strengthening the overall credibility of the research outcomes (CAHPR, nd). Ethically conducted studies are conducted by researchers with integrity who adhere to established guidelines and regulations set by organizations such as the Medical Research Council (MRC, 2023) and World Health Organization (WHO, 2023). These organizations provide comprehensive standards to safeguard the rights and well-being of research participants, including aspects such as confidentiality, anonymity, risk management, dignity, and welfare. Informed consent from participants is also a critical component to ensure ethical research practices.
In our own experience, we found the ethical approval process to be more complex than anticipated, leading to long waiting times. Additionally, we have experienced delays in our quest for ethical approval due to a lack of available members on the ethics board with authority to grant the approval when the chairperson was on annual leave. These experiences highlight the need for flexibility, adaptability, and a need for more people on the ethics board.
Moving forward, it is important to consider ways to improve the ethical approval process. This could involve increasing the availability of experts to streamline the review process, making it less time-consuming, and establishing a prioritization system for lower-risk research projects. By making the process accessible and straightforward, we can encourage occupational therapists and researchers from various disciplines to actively engage in research endeavors.
Despite the barriers researchers may face, it is important to reflect on experiences and work towards improvements. By fostering a collaborative approach and seeking input from individuals who have gone through the ethical approval process, we can create a more accessible and straightforward path for researchers, promoting the advancement of knowledge and the well-being of research participants.
This #OTalk gives you opportunities to tell us about your experiences of gaining ethical approval to undertake research and if you haven’t sought ethical approval previously, we want to hear about your opinion towards the idea of the process. As well as identifying what can be done to help the process become more efficient.
How does the process of obtaining ethical approval for research projects impact your interest and motivation to engage in research, particularly if you are new to the research field?
Could you share your previous experience in seeking ethical approval and provide insights into the duration of the process? / If you have not sought ethical approval previously what are your opinions towards the idea of the process?
Is there a need for increased representation of occupational therapists on ethics committee boards and why?
If you have gained ethical approval for a research project previously what advice and guidance would you give to others who have not and are just beginning their research journey?
What are some changes you think can be made in order to improve the process of acquiring ethical approval?
Owning a pet is an occupational role adopted by many, with 53% of UK adults who own a pet (PDSA, 2023). Whilst dogs and cats are the most popular pets, there are also many other types of pets too.
Pet ownership has been said to provide meaning and purpose (Hayden-Evans et al, 2018) and an occupational lens has been used to explore the occupation of pet keeping in various forms (Langfield & James, 2009; Allen et al, 2000).
This #OTalk is an opportunity to explore the occupation of pet keeping in both our personal and professional lives.
The questions:
Have you ever, or do you have now, a pet? If so, tell us about it. And yes, this is totally an opportunity to share pictures of your pet(s) with us if you want to. If you don’t have a pet have you ever wanted one? Why or why not?
What do you feel you/others gain from owning a pet? Are there any challenges too?
Have you ever supported someone you work with, in their occupation of pet ownership? If so, tell us about it. If not, why do you think this has not happened?
Animal assisted therapy is becoming increasingly popular- have you ever included pets or other animals in your practice? If so, tell us about it. If not, why do you think this has not happened and/or would it be something you would like to do in the future?
References:
Allen JM, Kellegrew DH, Jaffee D (2000) The experience of pet ownership as a meaningful occupation. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(4), 271–78.
Langfield J, James C. Fishy Tales: Experiences of the Occupation of Keeping Fish as Pets. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2009;72(8):349-356. doi:10.1177/030802260907200805
Maya Hayden-Evans, Ben Milbourn & Julie Netto (2018) ‘Pets provide meaning and purpose’: a qualitative study of pet ownership from the perspectives of people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, Advances in Mental Health, 16:2, 152-162, DOI: 10.1080/18387357.2018.1485508
OTalk 