OSOT - Supporting People Living With Hoarding Behaviours: The OT Role
Presenter(s)
Alda Melo, OT Reg. (Ont.)
Occupational therapists are among community providers who report feeling overwhelmed on how to respond when they encounter hoarded environments. A unique challenge occupational therapists face is the tension between the profession’s vision of enabling meaningful occupations, and in the context of hoarding, the need to manage acquiring activities so that safety can be facilitated and participation in everyday activities resumed. Many individuals with lived experience of hoarding find the act of acquiring a meaningful activity. That, in combination with a lack of readiness to change, can contribute to occupational therapists’ questioning: how do I best intervene?
This virtual workshop aims to answer this question so that when you come across hoarding in your practice, you are confident with your intervention choices. The workshop will: Review what hoarding disorder is and isn’t. Educate on assessment tools to measure functional impairment in activities of daily living, safety risks, clutter and other hoarding symptoms. Review best practice approaches that you can incorporate into their practice while maintaining a collaborative and client centered approach.
By the end of this virtual workshop, you will: Understand the characteristics of hoarding disorder and their impact on ADL performance. Learn to use three assessment tools. Learn best practice approaches to hoarding and intervening strategies. Practice creating a care plan. A recording of the virtual workshop will be provided to participants.