Synneve Dahlin Ivanoff

The aim of this study was to explore aspects of the meaning of home as experienced by very old single-living people in Sweden. A grounded theory approach was used, and interviews were conducted with 40 men and women aged 80–89. The findings indicate that home has a central place in the lives of very old people because it is where they live and spend so much time. The significance of the home is based on the fact that it means so many different things to the participants. The theme comprises two key categories: home means security and home means freedom. Each of these has three sub-categories. In home means security, these are: living in a familiar neighborhood, everything functions, and having memories to live on. Home means freedom comprises a place for reflection, a social meeting-point, and leaving your own mark. Home is part of the environment and influences the meaning and selection of activities that very old people decide to engage in. When occupational therapists prescribe assistive devices or recommend changes in the home environment, they must be very well aware of and reflect on what home means to their clients and base their measures on that.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the overall use of assistive devices among persons with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and how it is related to dependence in daily activities. This was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional population study of 85-year-olds. The most common category of assistive devices was bathing devices followed by mobility devices. The overall use of assistive devices was 82%, and around 80% of the device users were independent in activities of daily living. They were multiple device users (57%) and used more mobility devices and personal assistance in mobility. In conclusion, the ARMD group comprises very frequent users of assistive devices and uses assistive devices to remain independent. This implies that health services should provide assistive devices at an early stage in the disablement process to avoid the development of dependence and should consider the likelihood of multiple health problems when assessing the needs of assistive devices among persons with ARMD.

The purpose was to investigate the use of assistive devices in daily activities and its relation to daily activities. 85-year-old persons (n = 617) were studied in a descriptive, cross-sectional population study. The overall use of assistive devices was 77% in the total population of 85-year-old persons and the results show that persons who have visual impairment use more assistive devices. The most common category of assistive devices in the population was connected with bathing followed by mobility devices. The majority of the assistive device users in all groups were independent in both instrumental (I-ADL) and personal daily activities (P-ADL). There was a statistically significant higher proportion of device users who were independent in daily activities in the normal vision group compared to the visual impairment groups. There was already a significant difference in the use of assistive devices at a visual acuity level of 0.7-0.5 compared to participants with normal vision. The results show that it is imperative to provide intervention such as assistive devices in P and I-ADL earlier in the disablement process in order to slow down the progression of decline, as persons with visual impairment are at high risk of developing disability.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this randomized, longitudinal study was to investigate the impact of a health education program on perceived security in the performance of daily occupations 4 months after the intervention period. METHOD. Two groups of persons with age-related macular degeneration were compared: Those who had followed a newly developed health education program that was based on occupation and those who took part in a standard individual intervention program. RESULTS. Significant differences in the level of perceived security between the groups were found for 13 of 28 occupations. Participants in the health education group maintained or improved their level of perceived security in 22 daily occupations, whereas those in the individual intervention group declined to a lower level in 17 daily occupations. CONCLUSION. This study provides support for the effectiveness of the health education program to enhance security and hinder a progressive decline in perceived security in daily occupations.