Home modifications have a positive impact on self-rated ability in everyday life, especially on decreasing the level of difficulty and increasing safety.

The results provide baseline information regarding typical levels of functional performance in children with Down syndrome at 5 years of age. However, the broad range of functional performance across children indicates a need for caution in generalizing the results to an individual child.

Home modifications are effective in decreasing difficulty in performing everyday life tasks up to six months after the installation. Furthermore, to be effective home modifications need to be installed in a timely fashion. For each consecutive month the person waited for their home modification the difficulty of performing everyday life tasks increased. Therefore, it is important that home modifications be installed as soon as possible after the need has been identified.

The aim of this study was to illuminate how the environment may influence participation among elderly people who have undergone community-based rehabilitation in Norway, after an acute illness or accident. Fourteen persons over 65 years of age were selected with the specific intention of gaining a variety of ages, both genders, and people living in different kinds of housing. Three focus groups were established and repeated interviews were held with each group. A constant comparative analysis was used to analyse the data. The main finding was that the participants experienced pressure from their environment to concentrate on performing the most necessary daily activities rather than on participation. Three main encounters with environments seemed to be important for this: encountering people and society, encountering private and formal assistance, and encountering occupation. The support that the participants received from family and friends was more important for their participation than having accessible physical environments. The findings suggest that occupational therapists must consider themselves to be part of a societal environment that can hinder participation.

The aim of this study was to explore aspects contributing to experiences of safety in everyday life for older adults who have received modification services. Qualitative interviews were conducted with eight people. Data were analysed using a comparative approach. Three main categories emanated in the analysis: prerequisites that enable a feeling of safety, strategies that enable safety in everyday life, and use of and reliance on technology impacts on safety. The findings revealed that to feel safe in everyday life was based on three prerequisites: feeling healthy, having someone to rely on and feeling at home. The fulfilment of these prerequisites further impacted on the participants' strategies for handling problems in everyday life but also on the ability to use and benefit from technology such as home modifications. In conclusion, the findings indicated that interventions provided to increase safety for older adults should primarily be focused on the presence and fulfilment of prerequisites and later on other interventions such as technology. Technology such as home modifications and assistive devices was not found in this study to facilitate the feeling of safety unless supported by the fulfilled prerequisites. Implications of these findings for clinical practice are discussed.