Cognitive assessment and intervention in occupational therapy for Thai older adults with neurocognitive disorders
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Abstract
Background: Occupational therapists (OTs) have a significant role in maintaining clients' well-being. Understanding the current occupational therapy (OT) practice for the elderly with neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) brings effective service.
Objectives: This study aimed to explore current OT practice for cognitive assessment and intervention for the elderly with NCDs in Thailand.
Materials and methods: This study explored OT practices via questionnaire. Questionnaires were distributed to one hundred and ninety-one OTs throughout Thailand.
Results: One hundred and fifty-two occupational therapists (79.87%) responded to the survey. Most worked full-time (94.08%), and 74.34% worked at general hospitals. Participants were more likely to employ standardized cognitive tests (45.33%) than non-standardized assessments (38.00%). Typical standardized tests were screening tests rather than comprehensive tests. The most reported cognitive problem was basic cognition (77.63% to 98.08%). The main cognitive intervention focused on basic cognition (80.92% to 94.74%). Typical interventions were caregiver education (83.89%), physical activity (73.15%), and perceptual retaining (68.46%). Challenges to OT intervention were therapists had poor evaluation skills, unclear intervention guidelines, and an insufficient number of therapists.
Conclusion: OTs should participate in further education and develop a guideline and appropriate comprehensive cognitive assessment tools.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Personal views expressed by the contributors in their articles are not necessarily those of the Journal of Associated Medical Sciences, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University.
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