Engagement of Older Adults in out-of-Home Occupations: Transitioning from Hospital to Home

Abstract

Aims: Transition Care Programs support older adults to return home post hospital admission. This study explored the experiences of older adults who identified therapy goals relating to out-of-home occupations. Methods: In this convergent mixed methods study, we assessed 10 older adults using the Meaningful Activity Participation Assessment and the Life-space Questionnaire, followed by in-depth interviews to explore out-of-home occupational engagement. Results: Participants described continued engagement in out-of-home occupations, albeit adapted due to their changing health. They reported experiencing an ongoing health and occupational journey which required them to actively consider barriers and enablers to their occupational engagement. These adults were skilled in analyzing their own performance and engagement in out-of-home occupations. Conclusion: Older adults make progressive adaptations to maintain their occupational engagement. They are experts in analyzing enablers and barriers for out-of-home occupations and should be proactively invited to share their expertise during therapy.