Date Presented 04/03/2025
This study reviews the effects of OT on social participation among older adults with dementia using nine articles. All articles showed OT’s effectiveness in enhancing social participation, analyzing intervention types and assessment tools.
Primary Author and Speaker: Pu Reum Jeon
Contributing Authors: Eunyong Yoo
PURPOSE: With the increasing emphasis on health and wellness in aging, the importance of social participation has emerged in occupational therapy. Enhancing social participation can significantly improve life satisfaction and wellness in older adults with dementia. This study aims to identify the effects of occupational therapy on improving social participation and to review the types of interventions and evaluation tools.
DESIGN: This systematic review searched articles published between 2014 and 2024 using databases(RISS, Pubmed, Embase). Articles were selected if they had social participation as the dependent variable in experimental studies involving occupational therapy for elderly with dementia.
METHODS: This systematic review followed the four steps of the PRISMA flow chart: identification, screening, eligibility, and included. The initial search retrieved 1,536 articles. After removing duplicates and reviewing full texts, 9 articles were finally selected. These articles were assessed for risk of bias using the RoB and RoBANS tools, showing that most articles had a low risk of bias.
RESULTS: Interventions were categorized into five types, with occupational or activity-based approach and cognitive occupational therapy being the most utilized. All articles found that occupational therapy interventions improved social participation in older adults with dementia, particularly in social activities and instrumental activities of daily living. A total of 23 assessment tools were used, with the COPM and SBS being the most common.
CONCLUSION: This study confirms that occupational therapy improves social participation in elderly with dementia. It suggests that occupational therapy can contribute to enhancing the wellness of older adults with dementia through increased participation. This study also informs the feasibility of using occupational therapy for social participation in clinical practice.
KEYWORDS: Dementia, Social Participation, OT, Systematic Review
References
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., ... & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Bmj, 372. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Kim, Y. J., Kim, M. Y., Lee, J. H., & Park, H. Y. (2016). Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy for Improving Participation: A Systematic Review. Korean Journal of Occupational Therapy, 24(1), 89–108. https://doi.org/10.14519/jksot.2016.24.1.08
Yoo, S. Y., Kim, A. R., & Park, J. H. (2023). Intervention Related to Social Isolation of the Older Adults Living Alone: A Systematic Literature Review. Korean Journal of Occupational Therapy, 31(4), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.14519/kjot.2023.31.4.06
