Occupational therapy serving the community in an era of rapid change

Abstract

Traditionally well developed in many countries around the world, occupational therapy targeting older people delivers qualified programmes for preventive home visits, community-based rehabilitation, fall prevention, lifestyle redesign, assistive technology provision, etc. Research findings are to an increasing extent being transferred to practice contexts and serve to successively strengthen the quality of occupational therapy practices. During the first decade of the twenty-first century, at the international political level a number of grand challenges have been identified, in areas such as ageing societies, public health and security. Challenges must turn into sustainable solutions, and the question is what is required for occupational therapy to efficiently serve the community in this era of rapid change? What is needed from research and education to support a future-oriented development of occupational therapy practice? Framed in the context of experiences and results from cross-national and interdisciplinary research on ageing, this paper describes current trends and developments and outlines challenges and recommendations for the development of occupational therapy.