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enior centers are an important community resource or older adults.

Recognized as a designated ocal point by the Older Americans Act,1 

enior centers help older adults to access programs and services that

promote health and independence. Today, senior centers serve a

multitude o purposes, including meal and nutrition sites, screening

linics, recreational and ftness centers, social service agency branch

ofces, mental health counseling clinics, older worker employment

gencies, volunteer coordinating centers, and community meeting

acilities. With each generation, senior centers continue to grow and

volve in order to help older adults age in place and age successully.

Occupational Therapy in Senior CentersOccupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants bring

n understanding o the importance o participation and occupationor overall well-being to senior centers. Occupational therapy

practitioners can fll a unique role by enhancing client-centered

programming in senior center communities.

Occupational therapy practitioners can:

• Evaluate members’ needs and interests or specifc health

education programs, and then design programs around

these needs.

• Help members compensate or challenges they experience in activities o daily living (e.g., dressing and eeding)

instrumental activities o daily living (e.g., driving and home management), leisure participation, social

participation, and productive activity (e.g., volunteering and employment). The occupational therapy interventiplan, developed in collaboration with the member, considers the member’s specifc conditions (e.g., chronic pain

arthritis), and develops strategies to help maintain or improve his or her saety and well-being.

• Develop educational programs to provide center participants who have a variety o conditions (e.g., vision and

hearing impairments, mobility limitations) with all prevention, energy conservation, and other compensatory

techniques. Inormation can be delivered to individuals or groups about community mobility, environmental

modifcations (e.g., bathtub bench, grab bars), and assistive devices (e.g., one-handed cutting board or meal

preparation, built-up eating utensils) to increase ease, saety, and independence with daily tasks.

• Assist participants with lie transitions. Occupational therapy programming designed to help address role transit

and changes in routines associated with retirement, widowhood, caregiver role, and relocation can alleviate som

o the anxiety associated with these changes. Opportunities or participants to recognize the commonalities intheir experiences and to gain problem-solving abilities to handle these transitions are just some o the ways that

occupational therapy practitioners might support individuals at senior centers during these times.

• Create and implement health promotion programs to assist participants who wish to “redesign” their lives in ord

to experience greater health-related quality o lie and well-being.2 Programs can address the benefts o health-

promoting behaviors, and potential barriers or ears that are preventing individuals rom participating in valued

lie activities. Occupational therapy practitioners provide a unique educational approach that allows participants

to analyze their own occupations, which then enables them to adapt their approach to everyday living or optim

well-being.

Occupational Therapy’s Role in Senior Centers

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Fact Sheet

8/6/2019 Occupational Therapy’s Role in Senior Centers

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ccupational therapy enables people of all ages live life to its fullest by helping them to promote health, make lifestyle ornvironmental changes, and prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. By looking at the whole picture—a client’ssychological, physical, emotional, and social make-up—occupational therapy assists people to achieve their goals, function athe highest possible level, maintain or rebuild their independence, and participate in the everyday activities of life.

• Serve as consultants to the senior center or acility

environmental modifcations to enhance client

access, participation, and saety. Examples include

recommendations on bathroom modifcations,

accessible urniture, lighting to reduce glare, and color

schemes to enhance visual contrast. Occupational

therapy practitioners can also support acilities with thedevelopment o inormation and media intended or

senior center participants to ensure that content and

style are sensitive to age-related sensory changes and

supportive o cognitive processes associated with older

adult learning.

Evidence Supports Occupational TherapyThe University o Southern Caliornia Well Elderly Study2 

demonstrated that occupational therapy improved health and

lowed aging-related declines or older adults who live in the

ommunity more eectively than engagement in basic socialctivities. As a result, occupational therapy health-promotion programs might include the ollowing: (a) exploration o 

ommunity resources or volunteering in the community, (b) improvement o emotional well-being through engaging

new or previously done leisure and social activities, and (c) strategies to increase clients in their mobility, to eliminate

o alling. Occupational therapy practitioners can also create eective walking programs and programs to support advoc

orts o older adults, and address topics ranging rom energy conservation to successul time management.

As the population o older adults continues to grow and the desire or community-based services increases, occupationa

herapy can be a critical link to the success o multipurpose senior centers. Occupational therapy oers the solution to

participation, engagement, and well-being or older adults in the community.

References

. OlderAmericansActAmendmentsof2006.Pub.L.109–365.

. Clark,F.,Azen,S.P.,Zemke,R.,Jackson,J.,Carlson,M.,Mandel,D.etal.(1997).Occupationaltherapyforindependent-livingolder

adults.Arandomizedcontrolledtrial. JAMA, 278, 1321–1326.

evisedbyPamelaE.Toto,PhD,OTR/L,BCG,FAOTA,fortheAmericanOccupationalTherapyAssociation.Copyright©2011bytheAmericanOccupationaherapyAssociation.Thismaterialmaybecopiedanddistributedforpersonaloreducationaluseswithoutwrittenconsent.Forallotheruses,contactopyright@aota.org.