This study provides insight into readiness to make changes in behavior and environment in older adults with vision loss. Study findings can help occupational therapy practitioners practice client-centered care more effectively and promote safe and satisfying daily living activity performance in this population.
Older adults have impaired driving performance compared to other age groups, and auditory stimuli has adverse effects on driving performance (Karthaus & Falkenstein, 2016). Therefore, the purpose of this study was to expand knowledge of driving and passenger conversation within the older adult population. Participants (n = 17) completed a drive of 7.8 miles on a driving simulator twice; once without conversation and again with conversation. Both drives used the same simulated driving tasks to examine driving performance with and without conversation. Participants exhibited poorer driving performance from the first drive without conversation to the second drive with conversation, specifically in time over the speed limit and average speed. Descriptive statistics also indicated that participants demonstrated poorer driving performance between the first drive and the second drive. Taken together, these findings indicated that passenger conversation negatively impacted driving performance in older adults. Therefore, older adults should be cautious about engaging in conversation while driving, as it can impair their safety.
Date Presented 03/26/20
The study aimed to identify how past life experiences affect social participation among older adults residing in an assisted-living facility. Ten older adults residing in an assisted-living facility participated in semistructured interviews to share information on their experiences. The topic will advance the field of OT by providing practitioners with the ability to intertwine meaningful activities and life experiences of older adults to promote social participation.
Primary Author and Speaker: Ashley Stroud
Additional Authors and Speakers: Kayla King
Contributing Authors: Amanda Mohler
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