Assignment task: Identification of a community health issue
Begin the assignment by identifying a community health issue of interest. This could be based on a recent news or media story, a personal experience you may have had, or based on learning experiences you've had in school or while on clinical placement. Be sure to think about the issue from the perspective of a community rather than individual clients. This assignment should be related to the young to middle adult age group.
Examples of community health issues might be:
A local YMCA has been asked to offer a swim-fit program to people with arthritis and osteoporosis, but they feel uncertain of how to modify the activities appropriately.
A local homeless shelter provides dinner, a bed, and breakfast to a core group of men. While these needs are met, the staff and volunteers identify a large number of issues related to the mental and physical health of their clients.
School teachers and principals recognize that they have many students whose parents are immigrants and refugees who have fled very difficult circumstances. While they want a better life for their children, they struggle with language and cultural differences between the past and future lives they lived.
Then, gather data or information about the demographics and prevalence of the health issue. How many people would likely be experiencing the issue within the community of interest? To what extent is the health issue a common problem in this or other communities?
Applying an occupational lens to understand the issue
Why is this community health issue a possible interest to an occupational therapist?
How does the community health issue link to the major occupations of the members of the community?
You will be using the:
PEOP model. (Make sure to clearly identify how this model is being used.)
Consider occupational therapy intervention using a health promotion framework
Consider the ways in which an occupational therapist could engage with a community to address the health issue of interest to them (i.e. working with individual clients to participation with small groups, community organizations, and all the way to political action to address the issue.)