Occupational therapists can help older adults age in place safely and independently. Assessments of the home environment are important to identify barriers and safety hazards. Adaptations to the bathroom, kitchen, and other areas can promote mobility and prevent falls. Occupational therapists also educate family caregivers to avoid injuries when assisting older adults, as lifting and other physical tasks can lead to musculoskeletal problems if done improperly. With an aging population, more solutions are needed to allow elderly people to receive necessary care while preserving their privacy and dignity within the home.

1. OCTH 124 .
The ergonomics of aging.

2. Opening discussion -What does your
home mean to you?

3. Away is okay but there is no place like
home.

4. The choice –Struggle at home,old
peoples home or assisted living?

5. Ergo can help, not just with adaptive
equipment. Glowing bubble light designed
for the elderly- no small switches

6. Mobile phones designed for the
elderly.

8. objectives
• To look at theories of aging
• To apply the knowledge of the aging process
to address ergonomic issues, aging in place,
O.T.’s home visits, falls.

9. • In the past many countries had mandatory
retirement ages, this is now changing with people
working beyond 65.
• What is the policy in Palestine?
• So this change in society means there is a need
for better understanding of how organizations
treat older workers.
• Aging theories can be used to guide ergonomic
practice and to enable the elderly to live
independent lives.

10. A resource for the world
• But there are concerns about how to prevent disabilities
and how to give the best of care at an affordable cost .
Many countries work with the concept called “Age-friendly
cities” ( an extension of universal design)to meet the
growing older populations’ needs .
• Many countries also seek to increase and develop their
home care service, which is considered one important
solution. With a fast technical development and higher
living standards, the possibilities to stay at home longer
increase. This will increase the need for deeper knowledge
of older peoples’ living situations and possible difficulties in
their daily life at home.

11. Access to information for working safely is
a new area- self awareness.

12. Demographics an increase of three
billion !!!

14. definition
• The WHO considers 65 to be the start of old age
in developed countries, 60 in developing.
• Young old =65-74
• Old =75-84
• Very old = 85 plus.
• For classification purposes- policy etc. Actually
many old people function very well and are active
• All over the world the population of older adults
is increasing.

15. consequences
• Occupational therapists are challenged to use
all their knowledge to enhance the ability of
older adults to maintain injury free,
productive lives.

16. Theories of aging -biology, psychology,
sociology.
• Biology
• These result in age related changes- what are
these?

17. • Hayflick 1961-cell reproduction capacities
have well-known limits, less and less cells
poorer quality. Before this it was believed cells
could reproduce forever. Telomeres- DNA
shortens

18. • Autoimmunity-a programmed theory of aging
that ascribes aging and cell death to
preprogrammed decline in T-cell function with
age. So our immune system no longer works.
• Circadian deregulation- we have an internal
clock with a life expectancy

19. The circle of life
• Evolutionary theory –all organism die and are
replaced

20. www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkcXbx5r
Szw

21. Psychological theories of aging.
• These focus on post retirement aging.
• Individuals who are more motivated and
active are more likely to participate in
productive work, and will not retire early
• This suggests the more likely you are to
remain healthy and active- activity theory
• So a persons self-efficacy and personal views
are relevant. Aging can lead people to lose
confidence.

22. • Longevity theory –eat less live longer.
• Productivity theory- active aging
• Adaptive capacity theory – aerobic exercise
• Disengagement theory – we withdraw from life- do less and
less.
• Activity theory - social interactions. It takes the view that
the ageing process is delayed and the quality of life is
enhanced when old people remain socially active so
opposite of disengagement
• Continuity theory-the individual and society try to obtain a
state of equilibrium, do the same things they have always
done, if this is maintained you will age well.

23. Active in old age

25. Aerobic exercise at a sumba class

26. In active lifestyle

27. Sociological theories of aging
• Gender, race, ethnicity,
• How these affect participation
• Societies expectations, is the older worker
valued or not
• Social policy- mandatory retirement shape
how people think, stereotype images of how
older people are physically, cognitively.
• In Palestine –when are you old, how does your
role change

28. Conclusion to theories
• Three main categories of theory
• Biological
• Psychological
• Sociological
• May be a mix of all is best
• Therapists aim is universal access to
workplaces, policies, procedures, adaptations
can all help this.

29. • Older workers may have unique strengths.
• Therapists can have a role in committees,
looking at safety, adaptions, flexible breaks,
and as an advocate.

31. problem 1
• The employer wishes to remain productive
and profitable. The employer feels that older
workers will lose the company profits and take
more sick time because they cannot do the
essential duties of the job. This may result in
plant downsizing or closing

32. • Therapist Recommendations
• 1. Conduct a task analysis to identify essential
duties of each job.
• 2. Determine the areas of productivity that
place the company most at risk

33. problem 2:
• Workplace Readiness for Change
• Some workplaces do not have policies and
procedures in place that can be used help
older people to return to work or
accommodate an aging workforce
• Health and safety committee

34. Ergo O.T. and older adults
• 1. Occupational therapists utilize our foundations of client centered
enablement that honor: choice, risk and responsibility, client participation,
vision of possibility, change, justice, and power sharing (Townsend &
Polatajko, 2007).
• 2. Occupational therapists enable older adults, including those with a
disability, to age in a place of their choosing by developing partnerships
with older adults, family caregivers, and community stakeholders, as well
as through advocating for safe, accessible, affordable, and age-friendly
living options and community environments.
• 3. Occupational therapists foster older adults’ well-being by supporting
their efforts to maintain social connectedness, adapt to and manage
health/ability challenges as they arise, and engage in occupations that
allow self-expression, opportunities to learn, and promote feelings of
belonging and contributing.

35. • 4. Occupational therapists focus the concepts of “successful
aging”, “rehabilitation” and “independence”. occupational
therapists focus on occupation-based goals of importance
to older adults.
• 5. Occupational therapists should be aware of the
interaction between the aging process and disability with
clients who are aging with disabilities, and explore how this
impacts performance and engagement in occupation for
both the client and any supporters/caregivers of clients.

36. • In most cases older workers can be
accommodated and can continue to work
productively, given a caring climate.

38. Part two – the issues
• Aging in place
• Keeping people at home with disabilities.

39. An important area in ergonomics.
• The home should represent safety and
security for the person who lives there, and
this is an important factor for independence
in very old age. With aging populations, the
needs for long-term care increase, care
provided by family and/or from the growing
home care sector. Injuries among people
providing care are common.

40. Working in a care home-many O.T.’s
• There are several studies reporting risks of
injuries among home care workers; they
describe overexertion injuries to be the most
common. Fifty percent of the home care
workers find their work physically demanding.
The work is described by Dellve et al. as a
reason for disability pensions among 87% of
the home care workers..

41. • In their report they describe regular lifting,
often heavy and in awkward positions, to be a
reason for injuries . The musculoskeletal
disorders that are common among home care
workers are in the shoulders, the neck and the
lumbar back

42. Better for the old person at home,
consider
• Bathroom design
• When people need more care in the home,
there is a risk that they lose their home as a
private territory because it turns into a
working place where care workers come and
go . The home is a complex dynamic system,
and it is difficult to evaluate and design it to
become a perfect work environment without
affecting the person’s privacy .

47. • With age the first ability to be affected is the
mobility, followed by reaching, thinking,
hearing, vision and dexterity . Things which
affect people’s ability to live independently
are different barriers; stairs, corridors
bathrooms, the kitchen design and laundry
areas are parts of the home which are
reported as problematic areas

48. Falling and getting up again.
• Elderly people often experience a fear of
falling ; the fear is also known to increase the
risk of falling . Earlier studies show that it
takes longer time to get up after a fall the
older you get.
• We will look at falling in more detail, but lets
introduce the subject.

49. Falls risk factors
• Muscle weakness
• Balance gait
• Blood pressure- postural hypertension
• Slower reflexes
• Sensory problems- numb feet
• Confusion clear your head before you get up

50. Falls in the elderly
• Intrinsic factors (age-related decline in
function, disorders, and adverse drug effects)
• Extrinsic factors (environmental hazards)
• Situational factors (related to the activity
being done, eg, rushing to the bathroom,
multi-tasking, rushing to answer the door,
walking and become distracted )

51. • About half of elderly people who fall cannot
get up without help. Remaining on the floor
for > 2 h after a fall increases risk of
dehydration, pressure ulcers, hypothermia,
and pneumonia.

52. assessment
• Patients are asked open-ended questions
about the most recent fall or falls, followed by
more specific questions about when and
where a fall occurred and what they were
doing. Caregivers are asked the same
questions.

53. • Patients should be asked whether they had
physical symptoms (eg, palpitations, shortness
of breath, chest pain, vertigo, light-
headedness) and whether consciousness was
lost. Patients should also be asked whether
any obvious extrinsic or situational factors
may have been involved.

54. Prevention Is better than cure
• 1. Exercise program especially if history of
falling.
• 2.Assistive devices- walkers for example
• 3.Medical management- any medication that
may increase the risk should be stopped-
anything that causes drowsiness for example.
• 4.Eye sight tests – change glasses- bi-focals
• 5.Home evaluations.

55. • 5. Environmental hazards – reduce situational
risk/footwear
• 6.Teach person how to get up= roll into prone,
get up on all fours
• 7 .Personal alarms

56. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4
ngaL9JrG1E
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytXndx5
Gako

57. conclusion
• We have looked at aging and ergonomics.
• We will look at falling in more detail in the
next lecture.