[PJ-1-5] Deconditioning of Frail Elderly after the COVID-19 Pandemic:The Person-Environment-Occupational Model as a Framework
Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries, including Taiwan, implemented "lockdown" in order to limit the spread of the infection. This approach has led to higher risks of deconditioning of frail elderly, restricting their movements and confining them mostly to their homes. Although countries are starting to recover from the peak of the pandemic, the elderly are still struggling to overcome the impact of disproportionate social isolation, psychological and functional decline, decreased motivation and quality of life. The main purpose of this research is to analyze the progression of deconditioning of frail elderly with the Person-Environment-Occupational Model and provide possible strategies to address this issue.
Methods: The Person-Environment-Occupational Model describes the dynamic interactions between person, occupation and environment, which are represented by three circles. The overlap in the center of the sphere is the occupational performance of a person. By analyzing the imbalanced occupational performance of frail elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the critical issues that has impact on the well-being and deconditioning of frail elderly will be presented. In order to mitigate the progression of deconditioning and improve quality of life, the PEO model is implemented to identify strategies to remove barriers and increase supports among the person-occupation, occupation-environment and person-environment relationships.
Results and Conclusion: The targeted outcome of implementing the PEO Model for frail elderly during the pandemic is to mitigate the progression of deconditioning. When applying the PEO Model, the therapist, elderly and their family are suggested to work together to reach a consensus on different goals. Within the three factors of person, environment and occupation, in order to start changing the lifestyle of the elderly, occupational therapists should first look for the key motivation to a person and set a goal accordingly. After setting the goal, therapists may use the following strategies with individualized interventions: 1)Develop daily/weekly plans, 2)Environmental modification or adjustments, 3)Remove barriers and add supports to rearrange daily activities, 4)Be flexible to any changes among the three factors, and 5)Remind family members to also be flexible and understanding to any unexpected issues that influence the occupational performance of the frail elderly. Therapists are recommended to assess and adjust the intervention through the PEO Model continuously, in order to mitigate the progression of the frail elderly after the COVID-19 pandemic and create a better person-environment-occupation fit.
Methods: The Person-Environment-Occupational Model describes the dynamic interactions between person, occupation and environment, which are represented by three circles. The overlap in the center of the sphere is the occupational performance of a person. By analyzing the imbalanced occupational performance of frail elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic, the critical issues that has impact on the well-being and deconditioning of frail elderly will be presented. In order to mitigate the progression of deconditioning and improve quality of life, the PEO model is implemented to identify strategies to remove barriers and increase supports among the person-occupation, occupation-environment and person-environment relationships.
Results and Conclusion: The targeted outcome of implementing the PEO Model for frail elderly during the pandemic is to mitigate the progression of deconditioning. When applying the PEO Model, the therapist, elderly and their family are suggested to work together to reach a consensus on different goals. Within the three factors of person, environment and occupation, in order to start changing the lifestyle of the elderly, occupational therapists should first look for the key motivation to a person and set a goal accordingly. After setting the goal, therapists may use the following strategies with individualized interventions: 1)Develop daily/weekly plans, 2)Environmental modification or adjustments, 3)Remove barriers and add supports to rearrange daily activities, 4)Be flexible to any changes among the three factors, and 5)Remind family members to also be flexible and understanding to any unexpected issues that influence the occupational performance of the frail elderly. Therapists are recommended to assess and adjust the intervention through the PEO Model continuously, in order to mitigate the progression of the frail elderly after the COVID-19 pandemic and create a better person-environment-occupation fit.