Creating a Community Capacity Assessment to Identify Agency Outcomes Related to Occupational Therapy Student Community Partnerships.

Service-learning experiences immerse students in authentic situations and build partnerships with community agencies to support the health of those we serve in practice. Most occupational therapy curriculum evaluations do not systematically capture community agency benefits. Through the use of qualitative interviews and Q Methodology, the Community Agency Capacity Questionnaire (CACQ) was developed to capture the agency experience in these partnerships. This paper describes the iterative analytic process that resulted in the CACQ with 29 statements covering 6 domains: programming, evaluation, partnership, staff, funding, and marketing. The CACQ offers a means to identify outcomes from the service-learning partners' perspective.

Factors Affecting Readiness for Low Vision Interventions in Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify factors that facilitate and inhibit readiness for low vision interventions in people with vision loss, conceptualized as readiness for change in the way they perform daily activities. METHOD: We conducted 10 semistructured interviews with older adults with low vision and analyzed the results using grounded theory concepts. RESULTS: Themes involving factors that facilitated change included desire to maintain or regain independence, positive attitude, and presence of formal social support. Themes related to barriers to change included limited knowledge of options and activity not a priority. Themes that acted as both barriers and facilitators were informal social support and community resources. CONCLUSION: 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.

Recruiting older adults into a physical activity promotion program: Active Living Every Day offered in a naturally occurring retirement community.

PURPOSE: This article explores recruitment strategies based on the transtheoretical model (TTM) with older adults living in a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) to encourage enrollment in a physical activity promotion program, Active Living Every Day (ALED). Reasons for participation or nonparticipation are identified. DESIGN AND METHODS: Recruitment strategies were designed to move older adults through the TTM stages of change to enroll in ALED and were built on meetings and resources established by St. Louis NORC's supportive service program. NORC residents (25 ALED participants and 25 nonparticipants) were interviewed about reasons for enrollment or nonenrollment. RESULTS: A significant difference was found between the two groups on their responses to a physical activity stage-of-change question, although no significant differences were found in their demographics, social resources, and mood/depression. ALED participants' motivation to enroll primarily came from TTM proactive recruitment methods (88%) and less (12%) from reactive methods. Themes for ALED participants' choices to enroll included motivation to exercise, physical activity ideas from peers, social engagement, and trust in sponsoring organizations' staff and programs. Analysis of interview data identified that scheduling and cost were primary reasons for nonenrollment in ALED. IMPLICATIONS: Using theoretically based recruitment methods for older adults and a neighborhood approach through organizations such as a NORC may result in greater numbers of older adults participating in health promotion programs.

Anticipating relocation: concerns about moving among NORC residents.

Most older adults prefer to live at home as long as possible, requiring supports and services to help them age in place. This study examines the relocation concerns of a group of older adults in a suburban naturally-occurring retirement community (NORC). Twenty-six percent of the 324 residents interviewed expressed concern about having to move in the next few years. Residents who were worried differed from those who did not worry on a number of demographic and biopsychosocial characteristics. Overall, residents present a profile of vulnerability that calls for preemptive action to help them stay in their homes. A NORC is an ideal setting in which to provide supportive services.