Occupational Therapy Goals during Acute Discharge for Older Adults

Abstract

This thesis investigates the characteristics and nature of occupational therapy goals during acute discharge for older adults. The thesis is presented in two chapters: 1. Literature review 2. Journal manuscript The literature review chapter presented first provides a background of older adults and their experiences with acute hospitalisation. The literature describes the role of goal setting during discharge from acute and rehabilitation settings. The review examines existing research on the types of goals set by clients of various ages within a range of clinical settings. From this review it was identified that there is limited research into the characteristics and nature of occupational therapy goals for older adults during discharge from acute hospitalisation. The findings from the literature review were used to inform the design and completion of a parallel mixed methods study to identify the themes and categories of occupational goals and determine if there is an association between the goals and participant characteristics. The mixed methods study is presented as a journal manuscript in the second chapter of this thesis. The manuscript describes the methods, the results and implications of this research.