Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines For Older Adults With Low Vision

The U.S. population is aging, and occupational therapy practitioners working with older adults must have the skills to address multiple health issues, including vision loss. Although typical aging does not cause low vision, four major causes of vision impairment are directly related to the aging process: (1) age-related macular degeneration (AMD), (2) diabetic retinopathy, (3) glaucoma, and (4) cataracts. Instances of these impairments are expected to double by the year 2050, making low vision a significant public health issue. This Practice Guideline includes occupational therapy assessment and intervention guidelines for older adults who have visual acuity impairments, visual field impairments, or both as a result of a low vision diagnosis. Screening, referral, and evaluation are covered for clients for central visual field impairments, such as AMD and cataract; peripheral field impairments, such as glaucoma, hemianopsia, and quadrantanopsia; and mixed visual field loss, such as diabetic retinopathy. This work can help occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, as well as individuals who manage, reimburse, or set policy regarding occupational therapy services, understand the contribution of occupational therapy to treating older adults with low vision. Appendixes include selected diagnostic and billing codes and evidence tables.

This Second Edition of Low Vision Rehabilitation: A Practical Guide for Occupational Therapists provides current, evidence-based information on low vision rehabilitation that contains several new and expanded chapters on ADLs, IADLs, and recreation, as well as new online resources and the latest in accessibility devices. Low vision rehabilitation is rapidly growing as a specialty practice for occupational therapists. This growth requires practical, evidence-based information on the evaluation and treatment of the effects of low vision on occupational performance. Responding to this need, Low Vision Rehabilitation: A Practical Guide for Occupational Therapists, Second Edition blends standards of practice that have been developed for over 50 years by low vision therapists and optometrists, with the latest scientific research and the unique perspective of occupational therapists. This text is written to introduce the student and general practitioner to low vision rehabilitation as commonly encountered in medical rehabilitation as well as provides a conceptual approach to evaluation and treatment that will enrich an advanced practice. Authors Stephen Whittaker, a low vision researcher, certified low vision therapist and occupational therapist, Mitchell Scheiman, an optometrist and researcher, and Debra Sokol-McKay, an occupational therapist with specialty certification in low vision as well as certification as a low vision therapist, vision rehabilitation therapist and diabetes educator, have carefully selected evidence-based evaluations and treatments that focus on clinical practicality and meaningful occupational goals in adults. New to the Second Edition: A focus on occupational performance using “whatever works,” whether visual, non-visual, or a combination of these different devices and adaptive techniques The “EPIC” Framework, a general strategy to organize a treatment plan for daily activities using visual and non-visual techniques Access to a companion website designed as a handy clinical reference, with solutions to clinical problems easily searchable and cross-linked to related content The “Success-Oriented Approach” to interventions based on the most recent research on cognitive disability and depression associated with low vision Applications of the latest electronic accessibility devices including smartphones, tablets, and magnifiers that read aloud Incorporates the AADETM 7 Self-Care Behavior framework of the American Association of Diabetes Educators Incorporates concepts from the latest edition of the AOTA Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process A chapter devoted to field loss, spatial neglect and perceptual impairments resulting from acquired-brain-injury. The latest in Medicare documentation standards including outcome to G-code conversions and ICD-10 diagnostic coding for low vision. Included with the text are online supplemental materials for faculty use in the classroom. Features Included: Recommended practical evaluation and treatment methods such as a 1 hour evaluation protocol, how to write observable and measurable goals and document outcomes, and specific instructions on how to implement treatments Prepares therapists for the ACVREP certification as a low vision therapist or vision rehabilitation or AOTA specialty certification in low vision Emphasizes intervention and low vision rehabilitation treatment including: modification of the environment adaptive visual and non-visual techniques selection and use of non-optical assistive devices selection and use of electronic and optical devices and use of computer technology including smartphones and tablets Comprehensive case studies on vision impairment resulting from eye disease to head injury and more Provides valuable information on how to start an independent practice in low vision rehabilitation Includes a chapter on diabetes management Low Vision Rehabilitation: A Practical Guide for Occupational Therapists, Second Edition employs an interdisciplinary perspective that is unique, practical, and credible and will benefit Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant students, as well as practicing clinicians interested in specializing in low vision or other health care practitioners for patients with vision impairment.

The purpose of this textbook is to define and describe the occupational therapy approach to low vision rehabilitation using the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, 2nd ed. (AOTA, 2008) as the guide to evaluation and intervention. Although this textbook focuses on the older adult with acquired age-related vision loss, the principles of low vision rehabilitation are applicable to all ages.

The purpose of this textbook is to define and describe the occupational therapy approach to low vision rehabilitation using the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, 2nd ed. (AOTA, 2008) as the guide to evaluation and intervention. Although this textbook focuses on the older adult with acquired age-related vision loss, the principles of low vision rehabilitation are applicable to all ages.

Elder Care in Occupational Therapy has been extensively revised into a new and completely updated second edition. This pragmatic text presents up-to-date information in a user-friendly format that seamlessly flows from one subject to the next. From wellness to hospice, Elder Care in Occupational Therapy, Second Edition offers a broad yet detailed discussion of occupational therapy practice that is devoted to older adults. A wide variety of topics are covered in a concise format, such as historical perspectives, theoretical insights, the aging process, and current interventional strategies, to name a few. Twenty informative appendices are also included that clarify issues such as Medicare coverage, community and clinical living arrangements, client-centered practice, exercise programs, evidence-based practice, and a summary of the newly adopted Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process. Additional features: Contains information about the most advanced scientific achievements that can ultimately affect occupational therapy. Lists new and updated resource materials. Presents case studies that provide theoretical considerations and Intervention methods. Clearly discusses exciting and new venues for occupational therapy programming. Explains fundamentals of documentation and current reimbursement issues. Perfect for the student or clinician, Elder Care in Occupational Therapy, Second Edition provides classic, professional information on theory, disease entities, and intervention in a comprehensive format.

Presents an emerging model in which occupational therapists practice as part of a team of vision rehabilitation professionals serving adults with low vision. Occupational therapists offer a unique contribution to the vision rehabilitation team, with a focus on meaningful occupational goals, the incorporation of occupation into therapy, and the orchestration of environmental, social, and non-visual personal factors into a treatment plan. The authors have developed a practical and straightforward text outlining an evaluation approach to interventions that focus on recovering occupational performance in adults.

The leading scholarly and theoretical approach to clinical reasoning in occupational therapy, Schell & Schell’s Clinical and Professional Reasoning in Occupational Therapy, 3rd Edition, continues a successful tradition of not only teaching occupational therapy students how practitioners think in practice, but detailing the why and how to develop effective reasoning in all phases of their careers. More practical and approachable than ever, this updated 3rd Edition incorporates a new emphasis on application and reflects the personal insights of an international team of contributors, giving emerging occupational therapists a professional advantage as they transition to professional practice.