French-Canadian Adaptation of Lifestyle Redesign® for Chronic Pain Management: A Pre-Experimental Pilot Study

Abstract

Date Presented 03/26/20 Lifestyle Redesign is a manualized OT intervention that has shown significant clinical benefits for people with chronic pain. This occupation-based intervention has been translated, adapted in French, and tested with French-Canadian patients in the context of the Canadian healthcare system. Primary Author and Speaker: Émilie Lagueux Additional Authors and Speakers: Julie Masse Contributing Authors: Mélanie Levasseur, Yannick Tousignant-Laflamme, Andréa Dépelteau, Raphaël Pagé, Anne-Marie Pinard, Marie-Hélène Lévesque

Management of Chronic Pain by Occupational Therapist: A Description of Practice Profile

“…Helping clients make a cognitive shift from pain relief to pain management is challenging, but also empowering. Recent findings show that occupation-based interventions, which directly target the establishment of healthy routines (lifestyle changes), showed a trend for pain to remain stable, while participants’ daily functioning in meaningful activities improved (Lagueux et al, 2021; Simon & Collins, 2017). Therefore, according to these lifestyle-oriented interventions, instead of focusing exclusively on pain and disabilities, occupational therapy’s entire clinical process should also document and address links between meaningful occupations and well-being despite pain.…”

“…However, occupational therapists surveyed in the present study clearly state being experts in enabling occupation with person living with CP, which is directly in line with the foundations of their profession (AOTA, 2021; Lagueux et al, 2018). In the past decade, the updating of clinical guidelines about occupational therapists’ role in improving occupational engagement (AOTA, 2021; IAPS, 2018) and evidence about field-specific interventions (Lagueux et al, 2018, 2021; Nielsen et al, 2021; Simon & Collins, 2017) improved understanding and promoted their distinct role in CP management. Hence, this survey reveals that clinicians are fully aware of their specificity and need to be supported to better deploy it throughout their clinical process.…”

“…Occupational therapy facilitates the integration of individualized self-management strategies into client's daily routine (AOTA, 2021). Whether to prevent the onset of chronicity, or to optimize treatment compliance and benefits, putting an emphasis on participation and lifestyle changes is complementary to interventions that seek the reduction of symptoms and disabilities more directly (Lagueux et al, 2021; Nielsen et al, 2021; Simon & Collins, 2017).…”

“…Recent studies illustrate how social support represents an important issue to be addressed in CP management (Chou et al, 2018; Cooper & Gilbert, 2017) and should not be neglected when looking to improve participation in valued occupations. It has also become known that the sense of belonging to a group is associated with improved mental health for individuals living with CP (Lagueux et al, 2021; Sturgeon et al, 2015). However, our results suggest that occupational therapists rarely consider the social environment in their interventions, and seem reluctant to use group interventions, although these are highlighted in the recommendations of the guidelines of the IASP (IASP, 2018).…”

Feasibility of Lifestyle Redesign® for community‐dwelling older adults with and without disabilities: Results from an exploratory descriptive qualitative clinical research design

“…Given these positive effects, Lifestyle Redesign® has been adapted to specific cultural backgrounds, including Latinos (Schepens Niemiec et al, 2018) in California, Swedes (Johansson & Bjorklund, 2016), Israelis (Maeir et al, 2021), UK residents (Chatters et al, 2017; Mountain et al, 2008, 2020; Mountain & Craig, 2011), and migrants in the Netherlands (Abma & Heijsman, 2015). Adaptations have also been tailored to specific populations, including people with chronic pain (Lagueux et al, 2020), stroke (Lund et al, 2012, 2018), early‐stage dementia (Sprange et al, 2015), and chronic illnesses (Horowitz & Chang, 2004). Newly adapted for older French‐Canadians with the help and close supervision of the original team, this version of Lifestyle Redesign® was found to benefit participants' mental health, interest in leisure, and life balance (Levasseur et al, 2019; Lévesque et al, 2020).…”