Lipskaya-Velikovsky Lena, Kotler Moshe, Krupa Terry
Lena Lipskaya-Velikovsky, PhD, OT, is Assistant Professor, School of Health Profession, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and Beer Yaakov Mental Health Center, affiliated with the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel;
Moshe Kotler, MD, MHA, is Professor, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel.
Am J Occup Ther. 2016 Nov/Dec;70(6):7006350010p1-7006350010p5. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2016.014688.
People with mental health conditions (MHCs) frequently experience participation and functional restrictions. Today, hospitals still serve a significant number of people with MHCs. However, there is little evidence for occupation-oriented interventions to support participation, health, and well-being in these hospital settings. This article describes a newly developed, short-term, structured intervention for the inpatient setting, Occupational Connections (OC), that focuses on promoting everyday functions and participation in daily life and presents preliminary findings for its effectiveness. Ten people with schizophrenia participated in the program during their stay in acute open inpatient units and completed evaluations both pre- and postintervention. Statistics for a small-sample study design were applied to investigate OC's impact. The results showed OC's contribution to participation dimensions, functional capacity, cognitive functioning, and reduction in schizophrenia symptoms. On the basis of this pilot study's results, extended research is now being conducted to strengthen the evidence for OC's effectiveness.
