Occupational therapy in the Department of Veterans Affairs: focus on health care of the elderly veteran.

The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) operates the largest integrated health care system in the world (VA, 1989), with designated departments and programs designed to meet the long-term care needs of the aging veteran. Occupational therapy is an important intervention to maximize the quality of life of older persons. Because of the increasing number of aging veterans and the national shortage of occupational therapists, the VA has been devising programs to recruit and retain occupational therapists in VA medical centers. The combination of long-term care programs and the VA's commitment to ongoing research, education, and occupational therapy services points to a promising outlook for care of our aging veterans.