Clients’ Perspectives of the Effectiveness of Home Modification Recommendations by Occupational Therapists

Abstract

This study investigates the effectiveness of home modifications from clients' perspectives. Ten participants who received home assessments and modification recommendations were recruited from a rehabilitation agency. The dimension of home measure and qualitative interviews was conducted. The interviewers were transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Participants found home modifications improved their safety, accessibility, privacy, and occupational performance, especially in performing self-care activities. Occupational therapists provided sufficient information and actively involved clients/carers in the decision-making process, which contributed to clients' perspectives of satisfaction and effectiveness with completed modifications.

Barriers and facilitating factors influencing implementation of occupational therapy home assessment recommendations: A mixed methods systematic review

“…No articles were excluded due to methodological quality (Appendix S2). Two of the studies were pilot projects (Boman et al, 2007; Gibson et al, 2010) involving convenience samples (Lau et al, 2018; Stark et al, 2009; Taylor et al, 2019). The small sample sizes limited the statistical power of the analyses in two studies (DeForge et al, 2008; Taylor et al, 2019).…”

“…Studies included a broad range of assessment tools (Table 2), including the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), Spector‐Katz Index, Timed Up and Go (TUG), Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Assessment of Motor and Process Scale (AMPS). Forty seven percent of interventional studies utilised a standardised home safety assessment (Chu et al, 2017; La Grow et al, 2006; Lau et al, 2018; Lockwood et al, 2020; Pighills et al, 2011). The intervention approaches described in the studies are outlined in Table 2.…”

“…Additionally, Nikolaus and Bach (2003) reported that less than 50% of patients followed recommendations to remove rugs/ carpets or obstructions in walkways. The permanency of the recommendations, for example, free-standing equipment compared with grab rail installation, appeared to influence implementation dependent on personal preference and the nature of someone's functional needs (Currin et al, 2012;Lau et al, 2018).…”

An Economic Evaluation Framework for Government-Funded Home Adaptation Schemes: A Quantitative Approach

“…Evidence shows that home adaptation schemes contribute to improving quality of life for the disabled and ageing populations (Lau et al, 2018; Hwang et al, 2011) [ 33 , 34 ], but most empirical studies are from the end-users’ rather than from the provider’s perspective (Tural et al, 2020) [ 35 ]. There are relatively fewer studies on the costs of home adaptations (Soares et al, 2020) [ 36 ].…”

Current Condition of Home Environment and Necessary Home Modifications for Elderly in Community

“…9 In addition, studies have investigated effects of inclusion of occupational therapists throughout the home modification process on fall prevention and psychological states such as anxiety of elderly residents. 10 It has been shown that proper home modification supports the successful daily life of the elderly and can reduce accident in house or dependence on caregivers. 11 In spite of such advantages, home modifications rarely occur due to financial burden or willingness to maintain the current level of finance, attitudes of self-denial, absence of information, and experiences.…”