Occupation-Based Interventions to Improve Occupational Performance Among Older Adults Living in Long-Term Care: A Systematic Review

Importance: Evidence for the positive effects of occupation-based interventions on occupational performance is increasing; however, little is known about the impacts of occupation-based interventions on older adults living in long-term care.

Objective: To consolidate the evidence on the effectiveness of occupation-based interventions for improving occupational performance among older adults living in long-term care.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Web of Science Core Collection, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched from journal–database inception to February 2023.

Study Selection and Data Collection: This systematic review is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Included articles were peer-reviewed studies published in English that evaluated occupation-based interventions for older adults living in long-term care and used validated tools to measure occupational performance.

Findings: Seventeen articles, with 2,974 participants, were identified. The reviewed studies included 6 Level 1b randomized controlled trials, 5 Level 2b studies of various study designs, and 5 Level 3b studies with quasi-experimental designs. Across studies, heterogeneous measures were used to assess occupational performance. All studies implemented client-centered, occupation-based interventions designed and/or delivered by occupational therapists. Interventions were tailored to residents’ goals, interests, or abilities to improve occupational performance and participation, and inconsistent effects were reported.

Conclusions and Relevance: Moderate evidence supports the use of occupation-based interventions tailored to individual residents and incorporation of physical activities for improving the occupational performance of older adults living in long-term care. Currently, evidence for care partner involvement and multilevel occupation-based interventions is limited.

Plain-Language Summary: This study adds to the evidence base indicating that occupation-based interventions have the potential to promote the occupational performance of older adults living in long-term care. High-quality randomized controlled trials with longer term follow-up and assessment of clinically meaningful outcomes are critical for developing the evidence base in this practice setting.