Occupation-centered lifestyle interventions improve health and delay age-related declines in older adults; however, little is known about the impact of a brief telehealth lifestyle program delivered individually. This pilot investigated the Holistic Occupational Performance Empowerment (HOPE) program on occupational performance and health-related quality of life. Twelve community-dwelling older adults completed six weekly lifestyle sessions to enhance behavior change toward individualized health goals. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and the Short Form 20-Item Survey (SF-20) were administered preintervention and postintervention to measure program outcomes. Among 36 health-related goals, 69.4% achieved or exceeded the expected level of attainment. A paired samples t-test revealed statistically higher posttest GAS scores compared with pretest scores, indicating significant improvements in occupational performance. SF-20 mental health scores increased postintervention, although not significantly. Preliminary findings suggest that HOPE could positively impact occupational performance in community-dwelling older adults warranting a future large-scale randomized controlled trial.
Keywords: health promotion; health-related quality of life; lifestyles; occupational performance; older adults.
Virtual Program for Improving Healthy Lifestyles in SeniorsPrevious occupational therapy (OT) programs focusing on lifestyle (e.g., physical activity, stress management) have been successful in improving the health of seniors living independently in the community; however, little is known about lifestyle programs delivered virtually (i.e., videoconferencing over the computer). This article examines the meaningful daily activities of seniors before and after participation in a 6-week virtual OT lifestyle program. Twelve seniors participated in the program which included goal setting, problem-solving, health education, and reflection. Each participant focused on three personalized goals for a healthier lifestyle throughout the program. Nearly 70% of goals achieved or exceeded the expectations of the seniors. This initial finding shows that the virtual OT lifestyle program can positively impact seniors and support healthy aging. More research is needed to determine if the results can be replicated with other seniors, including those from diverse backgrounds and living situations.