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Introduction: Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is often overlooked in research despite being an occupation for many people, including adolescent and adult women as well as transgender and gender ...

Background: Evidence indicates occupational therapy (OT) services can address the unmet needs of individuals experiencing homelessness (IEH) to promote health, engagement in meaningful activities, and independent living skills. Additionally, student-run free clinics (SRFCs) are an effective method for developing clinical skills while providing needed services for the community. Based on the available evidence, a student-run OT clinic was developed in partnership with a local homeless services agency. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the services established in an OT SRFC in a homeless population to determine the initial effectiveness of the clinic for students and clients. It was hypothesized that the SRFC would increase student perceived clinical skills and provide mutual benefit to clients. Methods: Participants of this SRFC included 17 OT students (n=10 doctoral students, n=7 masters students) and 70 IEH since its opening in Fall 2018. OT students developed and implemented evidenced-based group and individual interventions designed to address health, wellness, and quality of life for the homeless population. Student skills competency, confidence, and client satisfaction were regularly evaluated through survey. Mann-Whitney U tests were used to determine statistical differences. Results: Results indicate that clients are satisfied with clinic services, students’ engagement, and some positive changes in independent living skills. Students reported statistically significant improvement in competency of professional behaviors (p

Life expectancy for persons experiencing homelessness (PEH) is two decades lower than the general population; often, middle-aged adults experience such debilitating health issues due to homelessness that their physical bodies resemble that of a geriatric population. Environmental barriers limiting the ability for PEH to follow medical recommendations and access healthcare often result in decreased health outcomes for this population. The need to participate in survival occupations can reduce time spent in occupations related to health and wellness. This article presents a case study to demonstrate the impact that limited and intermittent access to healthcare can have on quality of life and wellbeing for PEH. The case study illuminates the significant impact health concerns can cause for a PEH, including eviction from shelters, verbal abuse from staff and peers, and dehumanization. This case study and resulting manuscript are designed to explore the need for health promotion occupations within a population of PEH.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health care practitioners’ primary focus has been on its physical consequences. Yet, the emotional strain of the pandemic exposed the mental health needs of survivors and society as a result of forced changes in occupational choices, habits, and roles. These forced changes caused a collective confusion, fear, loss, and grief. This column focuses on occupational therapy’s critical contributions to supporting society’s mental health and wellness. Occupational therapy has a unique opportunity to provide interventions to address population-wide mental health and wellness, targeted prevention of mental health concerns for people at risk, and intensive intervention for people with COVID-19–induced mental health diagnoses.

Psychosocial Occupational Therapy by Carson (2020) is an excellent quick reference text for new practitioners or those new to working in the field of mental health occupational therapy. Carson (202...

To meet societal needs, assessments must capture the full range of clients’ occupational participation, yet occupational therapy practitioners are often unable to explore the dark side of occupational participation through evidence-based assessments. Thus, the Activity Card Sort-Advancing Inclusive Participation (ACS-AIP) was designed to explore the occupational participation of all occupations, including the dark side of occupation, through images minimally defined by gender, ethnicity, or environment. Here, I discuss the development of this assessment based on the unique occupational participation of the homeless population, as well as the translation science perspective that led to the development. I discuss the importance of trauma-informed care when addressing the dark side of occupation. Finally, I provide a case study demonstrating the use of the ACS-AIP.

Importance. Nonsanctioned occupations are those deemed socially unacceptable, unhealthy, or illegal, yet they hold meaning for individuals. A gap in occupational therapy evaluation and intervention to address a broader perspective on occupations prompted the adaptation of the Activity Card Sort tool to explore participation in nonsanctioned occupations. Methods. Develop a new version of the Activity Card Sort-Advancing Inclusive Participation to include occupations experienced by the homeless population, including nonsanctioned occupations. This study occurred in two phases: (1) tool development (item selection, content expert review, line development drawing, and assessment of content validity) and (2) tool use to determine face validity. Participants were selected through a convenience sample at a local homeless shelter and academic institution. Participants experiencing homelessness (phase 1: N=13, phase 2: N=10) were required to be seeking services at the homeless shelter, while nonhomeless participants (phase 2: N=30) worked full-time, resided with a significant other, and had personal transportation. Results. An assessment of 76 occupations, corresponding line drawings, and follow-up questions was created. An initial construct validity study demonstrated differences between occupational participation of those who are homeless and nonhomeless in the areas of social engagement, nonsanctioned occupations, work and education, and home management. Both groups reported previous, current, or desired engagement in the occupations identified in the assessment. Conclusions and relevance. The purpose of this study was to create an inclusive assessment for use in the homeless population and complete a construct validity study of the assessment tool. Although the results indicated some differences in the frequency with which occupations were performed, the results demonstrated that all individuals participate in occupations that many not contribute to their health and wellness. This initial work supports the future development of a tool that is inclusive of all occupations to obtain a holistic picture of an individual’s participation.

The American healthcare system has undergone significant changes in the past few years due to government and corporate-level changes. As healthcare requirements continue to shift, occupational therapists must continue to assert their role or risk losing relevancy. Therefore, educational programs must prepare students to meet the populations’ shifting healthcare needs through agile curricula which focus less on isolated skills and more on broad areas of impact. To determine essential content comprising a ‘metacurriculum’ for occupational therapy education of the future, nine articles were analyzed using Bloom’s Taxonomy (revised) to code each document into knowledge, skills, and behaviors. Major themes were identified across all documents. Through the coding analysis eleven themes were identified: population health, developing life-long learners, advocacy (at government and individual level), interprofessional collaboration, generation of evidence and translational science, diversity and inclusion, psychosocial concerns, aging, wellbeing and preventative care, contemporary issues and informatics. The themes can serve as an outline for academic programs to continue to evolve their curricula to ensure that practitioners are fully prepared to address the global issues that will manifest during their careers in occupational therapy.

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently labeled sleep deprivation an epidemic in America with 35% of Americans reporting less than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep each night. A recent study in France found that people experiencing homelessness sleep less and experience increased daytime fatigue as compared with the general population. Sleep intervention and research are rarely the focus for this population resulting in insufficient literature and knowledge to date on sleep health in people experiencing homelessness. Objectives The objective of this study was to determine quality, quantity, supports, and barriers to sleep within a homeless population. Design A mixed-methods survey was conducted to obtain data on sleep in the homeless population. Participants 32 English-speaking adults experiencing homelessness were recruited from a local homeless organization. Measures A web-based survey and two self-report standardized assessments were administered. Standardized assessments included Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Short Form v1.0-Fatigue 13a and the PROMIS Short Form v1.0-Sleep Disturbance 8b. Results Seventy-five percent of participants report getting less than the 7-9 recommended hours of sleep per night. Participants scored almost one standard deviation above the mean on both PROMIS measures demonstrating greater fatigue and sleep disturbance as compared with the general population. Four themes were identified via qualitative analysis: lack of environmental control, emotion and thought, substance use as a sleep aid, and sleep is important for health and daily function. Conclusions Results indicate a need for sleep hygiene intervention within the homeless population. Sleep deprivation is a barrier to the population’s ability to obtaining housing.