Unit rationale, description and aim
Occupational therapists play a vital role in working with older people in restoring and maintaining function, roles, participation and health. In this unit students will draw upon their theoretical knowledge and skills in occupational therapy principles, models and practices as applied to older adults. Students will consider the impacts of the ageing process on a person’s occupational performance, their roles, participation and health, and identify and apply evidence-based interventions relevant to older adults’ goals. Knowledge gained in this unit will culminate in the design of a group program for an older population that demonstrates students’ understanding of how a wellness and enablement approach can be implemented within an occupationally focused context. The overall aim of this unit is for students to further develop and apply their knowledge and skills about the impact of ageing on occupational performance, roles, participation and health to implement evidence-based intervention. This unit contains one learning outcome from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Curriculum Framework (HCF, 2014) specifically addressing the HCF cultural capability Advocacy.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Describe the life stage of older adults and the so...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse the influence of physical, social, cultura...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply knowledge of the factors associated with age...
Learning Outcome 03
Select and appraise occupational therapy intervent...
Learning Outcome 04
HCF 16.3 - Devise strategies for diagnosing and tr...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
Ageing
- Theories of ageing
- Pathophysiological and psychosocial aspects of ageing
- Healthy ageing, wellbeing and participation of older adults
- Cultural perspectives of ageing
- First People’s perspectives of ageing
- Ethical and medico-legal considerations
- Consumer experiences and impact of ageing
Service delivery models
- Australian context and policy
- Health promotion, participation and wellbeing in older age
- Advance care planning and end of life care
Occupational therapy and ageing
- Mental health and cognition: dementia, delirium and depression
- Falls: prevention and management
- Home modifications and enabling environments
- Assistive technologies
- Driving, transportation and community access
- Caregiving responsibilities and caring for older adults
- Sexuality, intimacy and relationships in older age
- Ageing in the workforce and transition to retirement
- Residential aged care
Assessment strategy and rationale
OTHY400 has three assessment tasks; an online examination (Assessment 1), an individual written assignment (Assessment 2) and a group presentation (Assessment 3).
Assessment 1(online examination) focuses on assessing students’ knowledge of key concepts relevant to occupational therapy with older adults. Assessment 2 involves interviewing an older person and reflecting on their life journey and experiences of ageing. Assessment 3 involves students presenting on an emerging, innovative area of occupational therapy practice to promote healthy ageing. Assessment 2 and assessment 3 both draw on authentic, real-world skills used by occupational therapists working with older adults in practice. Being able to work both collaboratively and individually is essential to future practice as occupational therapists. In order to pass this unit students must:
- Demonstrate achievement of every learning outcome, and
- Obtain a minimum mark of 50% for the unit.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Examination This examination f...
Assessment Task 1: Examination
This examination focuses on assessing students’ knowledge of key concepts relevant to the occupational therapy profession and older adults.
20%
Assessment Task 2: Individual Written Assignment ...
Assessment Task 2: Individual Written Assignment
An individual written assignment enables students to explore the experience of people as they age.
40%
Assessment Task 3: Presentation A presentation e...
Assessment Task 3: Presentation
A presentation enables students to work collaboratively to present an emerging, innovative area of practice that promotes healthy ageing.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit utilises blended and case-based learning. Lectures will be used to provide essential knowledge that will be applied in tutorials. Self-directed online learning will complement these approaches. Adopting a blended learning strategy supports students to meet the learning requirements, including completion of assessment tasks, in this intensive block-taught unit.
Tutorials are guided by case-based learning which focuses on presenting students with different case scenarios an occupational therapist may experience with an older person. In resolving the scenarios, students need to draw on their professional reasoning skills to locate relevant information from the case to identify core occupational performance and participation issues and interventions to address the client's goals. Students also engage in five (5) hours of professional practice in relation to assignment three. This professional practice experience involves students interviewing an older person about their experience of ageing, providing a person-centred understanding of ageing in Australian society. Learning and Teaching approaches included in this unit were developed in collaboration with First Peoples’ cultural advisors.
Australian Occupational Therapy Competency Standards (AOTCS) 2018
Australian occupational therapy competency standards (AOTCS) 2018 developed within this unit are: