Reclaiming occupation as means (ROAM) workshop presentation at the Occupational Therapy Australia Victorian division state conference 2014

1. ROAM
Reclaiming Occupation As Means
Mr Brock Cook, Reg OT
Mr James Naismith, Reg OT
Dr Robert Pereira, Reg OT
Flemington Racecourse Events Centre
May 3rd 2014
Reference to cite: Cook, B., Naismith, J. & Pereira, R. B. (2014). Reclaiming Occupation As Means (ROAM): Creating communities of occupation-centred
occupational therapists. Paper presented at the 'Victorian Occupational Therapy Conference: Moving with the Times', Melbourne, Australia, May 3.

2. Brock Cook
Quality time with GF
Occupational Therapist
Mental Health practitioner
Gym
Rugby
Powerlifting
Playing with Rusty my dog
Being Batman
Advancing the profession
James Naismith
Husband
Father to a fur-baby (Olly-dog)
Occupational Therapist
Music enthusiast
Socialising
Gardening
Home Renovator
Advancing the profession
Richmond Tigers supporter
Robert Pereira
Being a Husband
Going to church
Socialising
Racquet Sports
Photography
Travelling
Gardening
Occupational Scientist
Occupational Therapist

4. What is Occupational
Therapy?

5. "....provides services to individuals and populations
to develop maintain, restore and optimize health
and function throughout the lifespan. This includes
providing services to people compromised by
aging, injury, disease or environmental factors."

6. "....Physiotherapy identifies and maximises
quality of life and movement potential....This
encompasses physical, psychological,
emotional, and social well being.
(Physiotherapists Board of New Zealand)
Physiotherapists Board of New Zealand. (2009).
Annual Report 2008-2009. Wellington: Author

7. Definition "Occupational Therapy"
Occupational therapy is a client-centred health profession
concerned with promoting health and well being through
occupation.
The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable
people to participate in the activities of everyday life.
(WFOT 2012)

8. What is
Occupation

9. Simple
OccupationComplex

10. Occupation is engagement in activities,
tasks, and roles for the purpose of
productive pursuit, maintaining one’s self
in the environment, and for purposes of
relaxation, entertainment, creativity, and
celebration
(Christiansen, Baum, & Bass-Haugen, 2005)
Occupation is groups of activities and tasks of everyday
life, named, organized, and given value and meaning
by individuals and a culture; occupation is everything
people do to occupy themselves, including looking
after themselves (self-care), enjoying life (leisure), and
contributing to the social and economic fabric of their
communities (productivity)
(Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, 1997)
Occupations are the daily living tasks that are part of an
individual’s lifestyle (Golledge, 1998).
Occupation provides the mechanism for social
interaction and societal development and
growth, forming the foundation of community,
local, and national identity because individuals
not only engage in separate pursuits, they are
able to plan and execute group activity to the
extent of national government or to achieve
international goals for individual, mutual, and
community purposes (Wilcock, 2006)
Occupation is the doing of work,
play, or activities of daily living
within a temporal, physical, and
sociocultural context that
characterizes much of human life
(Kielhofner, 2008)
Occupation is perceived as “doing” by the individual, is goal-directed, carries
meaning for the individual, and is repeatable. (McLaughlin-Gray, 1997)

11. "...occupation as ends and occupation
as means..."
Gray, J. (1998). Putting occupation into practice:
Occupation as ends, occupation as means. American
Journal of Occupational Therapy, 52(5), 354-364

12. Occupation as a means is when a specific occupation is
used as a means in therapy to bring about change in a
person's performance.
Occupation as an ends is the goal or the product of
intervention.

13. Definition "Occupational Therapy"
Occupational therapy is a client-centred health profession
concerned with promoting health and well being through
occupation.
The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable
people to participate in the activities of everyday life.
(WFOT 2012)

14. Occupational Therapy’s
Dilemma

15. Gradual loss of occupation in
practice

16. Gap filling

17. Lack of unifying professional
identity

18. Inconsistency in
understanding what
occupational therapists do

19. Discomfort in using
occupational terminology in
practice

20. Current professional
development focus is to
address our roles as gap fillers

21. What do we own in our
professional toolkits that is
occupation specific?

22. Bringing Occupation Back
Five-Tiered Approach
• Knowledge Translation: Learning and Sharing
through Community of Practice
• Philosophy: Occupational Science
• Application: Occupation-in-Practice
E.g. Occupational Terminology; Occupation as Means and Ends
• Outcomes: Person- and Occupation-centred
• Reflection: Impact on professional learning and
development

23. Application:
Occupation-in-practice

24. #whatisROAM
• Increasing the professional development
opportunities that are aimed at strengthening
our occupation focus
• Increase the knowledge sharing and
knowledge translation opportunities about
occupation-based practice
• Promote (both professionally and publically) the
power and link between occupation and well-
being
• Promote occupation-in-practice

25. #whatisROAM
• Promote greater use of occupational terminology in
everyday clinical practice (i.e. the power of words to
change practice and perception)
• Promote and support Occupational Therapists to be the
change agents that we all know we can be!

26. Final Thoughts….
• What do Occupational Therapists feel they need to learn
about occupation?
• Is occupation relevant in your practice?
• Are you comfortable being gap fillers?
• Are you comfortable that your profession lacks a strong
professional identity, unity, presence, and relevance?
• What’s at risk if we don’t ROAM?
o Professionally
o For the people who we work with
o For the future of our profession
o For occupational science and occupational therapy research
o For our relevance to society

27. ROAM
Ways Forward
Contact:
ROAM Geelong
roamgeelong@gmail.com
• Aim for ROAM Geelong
Community of Practice to meet
once every 2 months
• Format; dynamic involving:
o Participatory lectures that are occupation-
focused
o Learning how to apply occupation-in-
practice
o Journal article and other publication
reviews
o Reflective practice opportunities'
o Learning-through-doing opportunities
(participating in meaningful occupations
together)
o Guest speakers

28. James Naismith
@jimmynai
Robert Pereira
roamgeelong@gmail.com
Thank You
Brock Cook
@keeper85
brockcook.com