Development and feasibility testing of an evidence-based occupational therapy program for adults with both Down syndrome and dementia

Raj, SE (通讯作者),Univ South Australia, Allied Hlth & Human Performance, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
2022-12
This paper describes the development of a home-based occupational therapy intervention program for people with Down syndrome who experience early on-set dementia causing a decline in their performance skills and increasing care dependency on their informal caregivers. A six-step methodological process adapted from the Medical Research Council framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions was formulated to develop an evidence-based occupational therapy program for people with both Down syndrome and dementia and their informal caregivers. The first two steps gathered evidence through systematic reviews of the literature and determined the scope of current occupational therapy practice. The gathered evidence was synthesised in step three to develop a client-centred occupational therapy intervention program for persons with both Down syndrome and dementia and their informal caregivers. In steps four and five, opinions were sought from occupational therapists working in this area of practice on the content of the developed program and its feasibility within the Australian disability services context. The final testing step can be conducted in the future using a single-case experimental design study. It is important to use rigorous frameworks and gather comprehensive evidence using multiple methods to develop interventions for small heterogeneous populations. The developed occupational therapy program for persons with both Down syndrome and dementia and their informal caregivers appears feasible to be implemented within the Australian disability services; however, funding limitations imposes barriers for its implementation in clinical practice.
JOURNAL OF POLICY AND PRACTICE IN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
卷号:19|期号:4|页码:396-407
ISSN:1741-1122|收录类别:SSCI
语种
英语
来源机构
University of South Australia; Edith Cowan University
被引频次(WOS)
0
被引频次(其他)
0
180天使用计数
2
2013以来使用计数
2
EISSN
1741-1130
出版年
2022-12
DOI
10.1111/jppi.12435
学科领域
循证公共卫生
关键词
adult Down syndrome intellectual disability occupational therapy practice dementia
WOS学科分类
Health Policy & Services Rehabilitation