British Journal of Occupational Therapy

The aim of this article is to examine the dual function of the microcomputer in occupational therapy, firstly as a management aid and, secondly, as a therapy tool. Factors pertinent to the choice of a microcomputer as well as problems of introducing change are examined.

The results of a study of activities of daily living (ADL) assessments in two different types of day hospital (general practitioner and consultant) for the elderly are presented. It was found that, based upon these assessments, a higher proportion of patients attending general practitioner day hospitals were less independent than their counterparts who attended a consultant day hospital. This difference was shown to be statistically significant in respect of the activities of washing (P<0.001) and dressing (P<0.01). It is concluded that ADL assessments are a useful way of indicating levels of independence in day hospitals for the elderly, and that the finding of differences in patient dependency between these two types of day hospital has important implications for the planning of occupational therapy services within district health authorities.

The literature of the past 10 years pertaining to the nature of memory impairment, the time/course of recovery of memory function, and the types of retraining technique was reviewed. Analysis revealed many discrepancies and unsolved issues in these areas fundamental to therapeutic intervention. Directions for future research were made in the light of these findings.

The aim of this paper is to describe the role of the occupational therapist in a psychogeriatric unit and to show the importance of this area of work. The assessment of activities of daily living and group activities is discussed, as is assessment in home visits. The author concludes that such comprehensive occupational therapy assessments are required to decide on the future needs of the patients.