Feature
Promoting occupational engagement for communities : virtual walks in a pandemic
During COVID-19 , Anya Mockett , Saoirse McKenna and Sarah Harvey worked together to develop a set of films to promote virtual engagement with the outside space for people with dementia .
For part of a second year Academic and Professional Development module at Canterbury Christ Church University , students plan , prepare and form partnerships with external stakeholders to successfully organise a community project .
During the pandemic , occupational therapy students Anya Mockett and Saoirse Mckenna , and senior lecturer Sarah Harvey , set up the community project ‘ Reaching Out Together ’ with the intention of preventing loneliness and isolation for residents living in care homes , and specifically those with mild to moderate dementia .
It is recognised that people in care homes are at risk of isolation , due to a reduced access to outside space and less opportunity for engagement in everyday activities ; and 69 % of people living with dementia are living in care homes ( Price et al 2014 ).
COVID-19 placed an additional restraint on care home residents . While in the general population rules were put into place to reduce transmission rates , vulnerable care home residents experienced additional restrictions , with their families , friends and outside agencies shut out of the homes to prevent infection .
It became impossible for care home residents to visit family and friends and the enforced UK Government regulations had the potential to cause widespread occupational deprivation ( Whiteford 2000 ).
People with dementia often experience confusion and distress . They would not understand the sudden loss of family visits and this imposed isolation would have negative impacts on health ; loneliness and isolation are also risk factors for morbidity ( Malcom et al 2019 ).
Saoirse describes sympathising with families in the pandemic : ‘ I was unable to see my grandad , who had vascular dementia before he passed away due to COVID-19 , therefore I can relate to that feeling of being disconnected .’
The group therefore prioritised the community of people living in a care home with dementia and focused their project on reducing isolation within this community .
Sarah Harvey is a senior lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University , and her role was to mentor a group of second-year occupational therapy students to complete this project . Sarah explains : ‘ The Academic and Professional Development module in the second year encourages students to use critical reflexivity to consider the impact the local , international , political and sociocultural environment have on the occupational opportunities of communities .
‘ It was quite a challenge this year for students to plan a community intervention when the country was under COVID restrictions . Anya and Saoirse had experience of family members having dementia and they used this knowledge to inspire their work .
50 OTnews June 2022