Date of Award

1996

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Health Sciences

College

College of Health Professions

First Advisor

Karen L. Clayton

Second Advisor

Maralynne Mitcham

Third Advisor

Becki Trickey

Abstract

Occupational therapists frequently recommend home modifications and assistive devices to help elderly people remain as safe and independent as possible. Elderly people, however, do not always follow through with such recommendations resulting in unsatisfactory outcomes of occupational therapy. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine elderly people's attitudes towards home modifications and assistive devices and to determine what they perceived as the barriers and facilitators to using home modifications and assistive devices. Two focus groups were conducted with elderly people in rural Missouri. The main attitudes were (a) determination; (b) positivism, such as feeling fortunate and encouraged; and (c) negativism, such as being embarrassed and frustrated. The barriers and facilitators to using home modifications and assistive devices were influenced more by the personality of the rural elderly person than by the characteristics of the modification or device, or the personality of the occupational therapist. The results of this study suggest that it is important for occupational therapists to understand the attitudes and perceptions involved in the decisions about home modifications and assistive devices by elderly people.

Rights

All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.

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