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All humans have the occupational right to sleep; therefore, occupational therapy practitioners must prioritize sleep with their clients. In this column, we identify ways to incorporate sleep health into the education and training of occupational therapy practitioners. This starts with identifying entry-level and continuing education opportunities to proclaim sleep as an occupation and a basic biological need. Current practitioners must recognize that sleep health is multidisciplinary, and existing interventions can help clients achieve good sleep health throughout their lifespan. Given the paucity of sleep research in occupational therapy, the potential exists to investigate new, occupation-based assessments and interventions. We provide specific approaches to expand sleep and sleep health knowledge in occupational therapy education, practice, and research. In this The Issue Is column, the authors identify ways to incorporate sleep health into the education and training of occupational therapy practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of structured reflections for promoting personal understanding and community self-efficacy was examined in 65 occupational therapy college students in a service learning course. Students in the experimental group wrote structured reflections throughout the semester while students in the control groups used non-structured reflections. Outcome measures included quantitative tests of personal understanding and community self-efficacy (Personal Growth Initiative Scale, New General Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Community Self-Efficacy Scale) and a qualitative narrative. Results indicated that students who wrote structured reflections significantly increased in personal growth and personal self-efficacy, whereas those using non-structured reflections showed no change. Both groups improved in community self-efficacy scores with no significant difference between groups.

Computer technology is integral to information retrieval, social communication, and social interaction. However, only 47% of seniors aged 65 and older use computers. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a client-centered computer program on computer skills, attitudes toward computer use, and generativity in novice senior computer users using a community-based participatory research approach. Ninety-two (92) seniors were recruited from a local senior center during the falls of 2008-2010; 62 seniors completed the study. Participants received four, one-hour computer-training sessions from occupational therapy students as part of academic curricula with "generative" homework between sessions. Seniors completed a basic screening to identify personal goals and level of skills, and they completed the Attitudes Toward Computer Questionnaire (ATCQ) and the Loyola Generativity Scale as pre- and posttests. Results indicated that 100% of seniors reached personal goals, there were significant increases in comfort at the computer and measures of generativity; however, few changes occurred in attitudinal measures of dehumanization and control over computers. Implications for developing a sustainable, intergenerational computer training program focusing on skills, comfort at the computer, and generativity are discussed. (Contains 7 tables and 1 figure.)

Older workers are the fastest growing segment of the labor force, yet little is known about designing jobs for older workers that optimize their experiences relative to aging successfully. This study examined the contribution of workplace job design (opportunities for decision-making, skill variety, coworker support, supervisor support) to dimensions of successful aging (social network, emotional support, personal control, generativity) in a sample of 109 older workers in the retail homebuilding industry. Older workers completed four standardized tests reflecting the job design and successful aging variables. Results indicated that job design contributed to 23% of the variance in generativity and 15.5% of the variance in personal sense of control scores. Skill variety and coworker support were the most important job design variables for successful aging outcomes. The potential for workplaces to become social institutions that contribute to dimensions of successful aging is discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

Volunteers are crucial to sustaining adapted sports programs. The purpose of the study was to understand the personal and professional motivations for volunteers in an adapted skiing program and to make recommendations to improve the volunteer experience. Forty-eight volunteers participated in a mixed method study in Winters of 2017 and 2018. Both college students and long term volunteers completed a demographics questionnaire and the Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI), a scale that assesses six categories of motivations. Additionally, eleven volunteers were interviewed regarding their experiences and suggestions to improve the program. Volunteers as a whole were primarily motivated by personal values, understanding [children with disabilities], and personal growth. College students reported significantly higher levels of motivation than long term volunteers for professionally oriented motives that include understanding children and learning career-related information. Qualitative interviews triangulated VFI findings with themes of volunteers' satisfaction through seeing improvement, positive emotions through helping, and applying academics to everyday practice. Recommendations to improve the volunteer experience included expanding training, developing interprofessional opportunities to team with other healthcare professionals, and developing communication systems around logistics (ridesharing, weekly schedules, ski conditions) and successes of children. Volunteers' motivations are multifactorial and may vary according to volunteers' life stages. Acknowledgement of personal and professional motivations may promote targeted recruitment, enhanced volunteered programming, and interprofessional opportunities. Volunteers are motivated by humanitarian values to serve others in addition to other motivating factors such as personal growth, self-protection, understanding (beneficiaries), social networking, and career development, the relative importance of which may vary according to a volunteer's life stage. Knowledge of volunteers' motivations can be utilized to develop targeted recruitment strategies and enrich volunteer programming that meets the personal and professional needs of volunteers. A volunteer program with college-age and long term volunteers enables mutually beneficial opportunities for mentoring, interprofessional teaming, career development for younger volunteers, streamlining program logistics, and bonding experiences with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date Presented 03/22/24 The Attitudes Towards Zoom (ATZ) questionnaire surveyed 275 OT students on attitudes toward videoconferencing. Students reported fatigue and less class engagement but appreciated communication convenience, which should be considered in class format. Primary Author and Speaker: Kathryn Rich Additional Authors and Speakers: Olivia Gougler, Martha Sanders [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A school-based oral health promotion program was established on a Bahamian island that lacks access to dental care. An interprofessional team of dental hygiene (DH) and occupational therapy (OT) students and faculty delivered an annual service program from 2016 to 2018 based on the Ecological Model of School-Based Health Promotion. The interprofessional team provided oral preventative services and class-based lessons to children to reinforce positive oral health behaviors. Efforts to sustain the program involved partnering with the Bahamian community stakeholders to expand networks of influence, developing effective communication systems, and integrating oral health into the school curriculum. The interprofessional approach enabled a sustained and comprehensive program. This report describes the unique DH and OT interprofessional collaboration and program sustainability efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]