Introduction
Occupational therapy focuses on increasing participation in a client’s daily activities. It involves the identification of environmental barriers that limit the customer’s ability to perform his or her daily activities and eliminating them. This is done by modifying the tasks, educating and teaching the skills to the client to enhance his or her daily activities. More emphasis is placed on the needs and goals of the client.
Young@Heart is a film about a chorus composed of senior citizens. They sing contemporary songs as well as pop and classic rock songs. Eighty is the average age of the twenty-two members of the group. They are mostly consisted of retirees. Despite the fact that most face many healthy issues, they are all determined to succeed in their singing performances. They spend a lot of weeks training and learning new singing materials, ranging from Sonic Youth, Pointer Sisters and James Brown (Young@Heart, 2007).
Young@Heart chorus member Joe Benoit is of significant importance in analyzing occupational therapy. He had the amazing ability to perform on a European tour after several rounds of recommended chemotherapy sessions. He was suffering from a chronic illness. Despite the fact that he suffered from physical illness, he nevertheless undertook the necessary rehearsals to enhance the Young@Heart performance. ‘
The Impact and Importance of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy plays an important role in ensuring the wellness and health of the client. It is particularly useful in healthcare to improve a client's physical health as well as mental health consequently leading to increased wellness. Occupational therapy is used in promoting wellness and wellbeing of clients suffering from chronic illnesses (Wimpenny, Forsyth, Jones, Matheson & Colley, 2010). Healthcare disparities are reduced significantly through the introduction of occupational therapy to clients. Secondary conditions and injuries are preventable through the use of occupational therapy (Wimpenny et al., 2010). When administered properly through client-centered technique, it can lead to better healthy living practices and clients' social participation.
In the case of Joe Benoit, occupational therapy ensured that he remained active throughout his life. This enhanced his overall physical and mental wellbeing. In addition, it ensured that he led a participative life in social activities such as singing and socializing. These activities enhanced his wellbeing. He led a personally fulfilled life by engaging himself in daily activities that he enjoyed most. Therefore, occupational therapy, when carefully and effectively incorporated to a client, increases customer satisfaction and better living practices.
What Information About This Person Would Be The Focus Of The Case Analysis, Based On The Occupational Therapy Theory You Have Chosen?
In Joe’s words, “singing does a lot for your whole body” (Young@Heart, 2007). It is worth noting that the elderly member of the group has an incredible memory. Joe’s occupation as a member of the chorus contributed significantly to his improved physical and mental health. He was a very active and engaging member of the group. He defied doctor’s order not to perform. He did so in order to participate in his group’s European tour. He believed in doing music all his life and especially during his last days.
Joe’s condition did not limit him from enjoying his favorite daily activities such as singing and socializing with his team members. He actually memorized songs within hours. He was ready for performance despite the fact that he had gone through several chemotherapy sessions. Occupational therapy, which involved ensuring that he was available for the team's practice and performance, ensured that he led a socially participative life up to his final days.
What Unique Features Of This Theory Are Particularly Applicable To Your Case Study?
The occupational therapy theory when used on elderly people helps them become more active, productive and independent. It allows them to adapt to their surrounding environment. It also enhances their capabilities of performing their daily tasks and activities. It improves their personal health and increases their chances of coping with chronic illnesses. Occupational therapists identify various barriers to a client’s performance of daily activities and recommends the best possible solutions. This may include the provision of rehabilitative equipment and other transport options.
There are several unique features applicable to the case study. They include the group’s age, their wide range of illnesses and the overall participative nature of the group members. All the member of the chorus are aged. They all suffer from different chronic diseases and other physical pains. Despite the fact that some members suffered from back pain and chronic illness as well as going through chemotherapy sessions, they were all determined to entertain. They were very active in the group. They engaged in a social activity that they all enjoyed doing. They made good friends with the group to the extent that when one of their members died, they were all devastated but kept on doing what they believed to be fulfilling. This improved their lives significantly.
How Might Your Analysis Influence Goal-Setting To Help This Person Improve His Or Her Day-To-Day Functioning And Quality Of Life?
Joe’s chorus director was strict. He ensured that the team rehearsed and practiced the songs entirely. In one incident, Joe is noticed to have memorized a song within a few hours (Young@Heart, 2007). The aspect of the director setting goals for the team members ensured that they delivered the desired results on time. Goal setting in occupational therapy leads the client to live a more participative lives. While working with the elderly, occupational therapists use goal setting to address certain issues that arise due to old age. They are driven to maintain and live independent lives. Certain evaluations of these goal setting techniques enabled Joe to be determined to perform despite the doctor’s orders not to.
Occupational therapy enhances goal setting techniques in the lives of the elderly, which helps them utilize the retained abilities (Wimpenny et al., 2010). In this case, Joe Benoit utilized and enhanced his amazing memory due to the use of occupational therapy through the director’s goal setting technique.
Emanating from your theory-based case analysis, what goals might you identify for this person to improve daily functioning and quality of life?
The case of Joe Benoit brings to focus the importance of occupational therapy to the elderly. It is worth noting that his engagement in the group played a significant role in his life. The chorus comprised of mostly his age mates. They joked a lot and hey had fun; they played and wittingly performed in various unconventional places such as prisons that made Joe’s life more interesting. To improve his quality of life and daily functioning, I would identify his capability of memorizing songs as a good foundation to set his personal occupational therapy goals. Such goals may include the rehearsal of new unconventional songs and sounds.
Emanating From Your Theory-Based Case Analysis, What Interventions Might You Recommend For This Person, To Work Towards The Goals You Have Identified?
In order to achieve such goals, I would introduce certain interventions for Joe. Such interventions may include ensuring that he obeys the doctor’s orders and attends all his chemotherapy sessions. This would ensure that he is not only physically fit to perform but also mentally prepared to memorize his songs.
How Would You Address Client-Centered and Culturally Sensitive Goal-Setting and Intervention for This Person?
Joe really believed in music. He believed in doing it time and again. To him, music was oxygen. Despite the fact that his life was approaching the end, he undertook to perform the classic songs. Client-centered mechanisms such as Joe’s allowed him to do what he loved. Such initiatives of occupational therapists ensured that he lived his life fully. Despite the chronic pains associated with the chronic disease he suffered, he endured to the end. Occupational therapy improves a client’s social life. Joe engaged in the chorus that led him to live a happy life with his funny friends and loving age mates.
What Lessons Can Be Learned From This Case Study Analysis, To Apply To Future Clients?
There are several lessons learned in this case study. One of them is that the effective use of occupational therapy enhances individual’s wellbeing. It enhances the adaptability of the client to his conditions such as social, environmental and physical barriers. Client’s adaptability to socially fulfilling and satisfying activities improves their health. It plays an important role in enabling resilience of the client. It also engages the customer in a more fulfilling work-related activities that enable them to deal effectively with chronic illnesses and other disabilities related to old age. There is no better way of improving self-reliance an independence of the elderly than through occupational therapy.
Conclusion
Occupational therapy plays an important role in modern medical healthcare systems. It enhances the client’s participation in social activities and ensures that the client performs his/her daily activities with ease. This process ensures that the client is fully engaged in activities that are simple and enjoyable. In doing so, the client is able to adapt and cope with certain limitations caused by illness or old age. In that regard, occupational therapy is useful in improving the health of clients suffering from chronic illnesses, as it ensures that they live a more fulfilling and healthy life.
References
Young@Heart. (2007). United Kingdom.
Wimpenny, K., Forsyth, K., Jones, C., Matheson, L., & Colley, J. (2010). Implementing the
Model of Human Occupation across a mental health occupational therapy service: communities of practice and a participatory change process. The British Journal Of Occupational Therapy, 73(11), 507-516. http://dx.doi.org/10.4276/030802210x12892992239152
