Effective Identification of Elderly Patients Requiring Occupational Therapy

This article is based on a research project which examined, in a day hospital for elderly people, the problem of ineffective identification of new patients requiring occupational therapy. An initial interview by the occupational therapist was found to identify more patients requiring intervention than were directly referred by the medical staff. Occupational therapy interviews used in conjunction with direct referrals proved to be a feasible long-term method of improving the occupational therapy service.