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Project Archives
The Perspective of Occupational Therapists on the Use of Assistive Technology by Older Adults with Dementia
This pilot study interviewed occupational therapists to gain an understanding of assistive technologies in use by older adults with dementia living in the community, what assistive technologies are being recommended and prescribed by occupational therapists as well as the factors that influence the use of assistive technologies.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Jennifer Boger, PEng, Research Manager, IATSL University of Toronto / Toronto Rehabilitation Institute jen.boger@utoronto.ca
Interdisciplinary Pressure Management & Mobility Program as an Alternative to Bedrest: A Pilot Study
To evaluate an individualized, community based pressure management and mobility program for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and compare this approach to usual care (bedrest).
How Do Home Care Organizations Learn from and Transfer Knowledge about Adverse Events?
This project identified adverse events, common contributing factors, the degree of agreement between information relative to the critical events (provider vs. CCAC), made recommendations for improving knowledge transfer and explored a Root Cause analysis.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Investigating Barriers, Incentives and Solutions to Physical Therapy Student Clinical Placements in the Community Setting
The purpose of this study is to investigate the barriers, incentives and solutions to student clinical placements in the community setting. It is hypothesized that identifying and acknowledging the barriers and incentives surrounding student clinical placements in the community environment will lead to potential implementation of solutions. This may result in an increase in the number of community-based placement offers for PT students as well as increased acceptance rate of available placements by PT students.
House Calls Project
House Calls is a not-for-profit program providing frail, vulnerable, marginalized and homebound seniors with physician-led interdisciplinary care at home. Under the leadership of primary care physician Dr. Mark Nowaczynski, the integrated House Calls team includes a Social Worker, Occupational Therapist, Registered Nurseand Nurse Practitioner, supported by a Program Manager and Intake Worker. This study seeks to identify the components and potential impact of delivering integrated services to frail seniors. Information obtained from this pilot will guide data collection in the next phase of the project.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Sheila Neysmith, PhD Professor; RBC Chair in Applied Social Work Research University of Toronto sheila.neysmith@utoronto.ca
Therapeutic Relationship and Functional Outcomes in an Occupational Therapy Intervention
This research takes a case study approach to better understand both the clients and therapists’ perspectives within one relationship, and the contextual variables perceived to impact this relationship. The client’s perceived functional recovery over time will be tracked to determine if a pattern exists between the therapeutic relationship and the achieved functional recovery.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Tricia Morrison, OTPhD Student Department of Education University of Ottawa tricia.morrison@tmotpc.com
West GTA Stroke Network
This study will examine the trial of 13 assessments for clients in the community who have had strokes. This will help to establish an estimated visit number from the CCAC for this client population and to determine the applicability of these assessments in the community.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Juan (Jayvi) Aruta, Clinical Lead Adult Physical Medicine – Occupational Therapy jaruta@vha.ca
Self Management Support: Identifying the practice patterns of community-based PT’s
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Kathy Sidhu, MScPT Manager, Client Services VHA Rehab Solution ksidhu@vha.ca
Canwheel: Evaluating the Needs & Experiences of Older Adults Using Power Wheelchairs
To ascertain how older adults, caregivers, health care professionals, policy makers, and funding agencies define the technological, social and physical needs and abilities of individuals aged 50+ with respect to power wheelchairs.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Rosalie Wang, PhD Post Doctoral Fellow, IATSL University of Toronto / Toronto Rehabilitation Institute wang.rosalie@gmail.com
Palliative End-of-Life Home Care and Chinese Immigrants: The Meaning of Home and Negotiations of Care
To describe and examine how meanings of home enter into and shape negotiations of palliative home care between Chinese immigrants with advanced cancer, their primary family caregivers, and home care providers.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Lisa Seto, RN, PhD Candidate Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing University of Toronto lisa.seto@utoronto.ca
Community Dwelling & Falling: Who’s at risk?
With an aging population and the need for more outpatient continuing care initiatives, this study will help to identify who is at risk of falling in those individuals receiving in-home physiotherapy services. In particular this study will identify the prevalence of documented fall risk factors and incidence of falls in adults aged 18 years and older who received in-home physiotherapy services within a one year period.The results may indicate more fall prevention services are required for this population and may help future patients receive more appropriate care.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
Kathy Sidhu, MScPT Manager, Client Services VHA Rehab Solution ksidhu@vha.ca
Community Fall Risk & Prevention Study
The goal of this project is to use a new fall risk assessment tool and educational handouts to focus the fall risk assessment and fall prevention activities of home care professionals. Older adults falling in their homes and in the community is a large concern for the health system, and improvements in fall prevention programs are necessary to help decrease how often falls occur.
If you would like to learn more about this study please contact:
James Shaw, MScPT Research Associate VHA Rehab Solutions jayshaw29@gmail.com