I am grateful to the people who have signed up to watch the lecture and I hope they will leave it considering how the time is now for the world to recognise that we are enacting one of the greatest ideas of the 20th Century for the benefit of people and communities .”
I now work in Scotland , where I have recently been promoted to Professor of Occupational Therapy at Glasgow Caledonian University . And as a member of the Ageing Well Research Group in the Research Centre for Health , I am developing an occupation-based health promotion intervention – EmpowerAge TM – to promote healthy ageing .
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Increasing research capacity and developing a culture of scholarly activity within occupational therapy is clearly one of your key passions . Why is this so important for the profession ?
While occupational therapists fully understand the centrality of occupation in the lives of people and communities , if we cannot demonstrate the outcome and impact of our work to other people it is hard for them to understand its value .
We need research and scholarly activity to help us do this . If people understand the difference we make , they are more likely to refer to , or commission , our services and in turn more people and communities will benefit from occupational therapy .
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Teaching , mentoring and sharing your knowledge with the wider occupational therapy community has been extremely important to you throughout your career . What drives you to make such an impact on the profession ?
I really enjoy working with other people and teaching , mentoring or sharing knowledge often results in me learning more than the people I am supposed to be supporting . Students and mentees have taught and inspired me so much over the years .
For example , when working with Dr Joanne Inman , Associate Director of Nursing and Therapies at Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust , on her PhD , she introduced me to the concept of appreciative leadership . I can honestly
I am grateful to the people who have signed up to watch the lecture and I hope they will leave it considering how the time is now for the world to recognise that we are enacting one of the greatest ideas of the 20th Century for the benefit of people and communities .”
say she changed not only the way I work , but how I try to live my life .
I love being an academic . It means you are on a constant journey of learning that you share with others and it ’ s your job to do it ! It ’ s an absolute privilege and I have been so lucky to have these opportunities during my career .
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You ’ ve received many accolades to date for your work ; is there one thing that you ’ re particularly proud of ?
I used the time when I was the Chair of the RCOT Research and Development Board to work with Dr Elizabeth White , RCOT ’ s then Head of Research and Development , to establish the RCOT Research Foundation .
Many people have benefited from the funding , but it was great to hear Dr Niina Kolehmainen crediting the foundation for playing a part in her achievement . She is Reader in Allied Child Health at Newcastle University , and has recently secured £ 2.3 million to conduct a trial to assess how parents and professionals can support young children with neurodisability to develop independence in everyday self-care tasks ,
It was to support occupational therapists to achieve research breakthroughs like this that the foundation was developed and I hope Niina ’ s success inspires others .
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And finally , what will your key take-home messages be for people who watch your lecture live online ?
I am grateful to the people who have signed up to watch the lecture and I hope they will leave it considering how the time is now for the world to recognise that we are enacting one of the greatest ideas of the 20th Century for the benefit of people and communities .
Once others recognise the truth of the centrality of occupation in the lives of people and communities , we can stop being absorbed with how we are perceived as a profession and direct our energies towards our work with people and communities .
We need to emulate Elizabeth Casson and harness the tools of our age – the Social Age – to ensure the centrality of occupation in the lives of people and communities .
Healthy ageing is one area of practice where the contribution of occupational therapists has yet to be fully recognised . After all , given the profound impact lifestyle has on health , an occupation-based approach centred on what people do every day could be a key to working with people to unlock the five pillars to aging well , namely , healthy eating , hydration , exercise , social connections , and cognitive health .
Words PROFESSOR KATRINA BANNIGAN in conversation with TRACEY SAMUELS , OTnews Editor
April 2024 OTnews 19