Occupational Science:

1
Occupational Science

• Founding European
• occupational therapy education on
  understandingpeople as occupational beings

2
Occupational Science

• Ex-King Manuel of Portugal (1889-l932) worked
  with Sir Robert Jones to establish curative
  workshops as a necessary adjunct to orthopaedic
  after-care for the war wounded during the
  1914-1918 War.
• They recognised the potential of occupation
  within rehabilitation and the links to
  psychological well-being and return to community
  life.

3
Occupational Science

• Manuel described the four major objectives
• of the workshops as
• 1. "to give occupation to the men"
• 2. "to find work which would be useful for their
• respective injuries"
• 3. "to find occupations which would have a
• beneficial psychological effect"
• 4. "to consider occupations which would, later
  on,
• be of benefit to the men when they were
  discharged from hospital either to the
• army or into civil life".

4
Occupational Science

• My wish is that further organization should
  create a real link between the authorities and
  societies which are dealing with the training and
  professional re-education of the disabled men
• "The social question connected with the problem
  of the disabled is of a capital importance

5
Occupational Science

• Manuels remarkable contribution heralds the
  issues being addressed here at the ENOTHE
  Conference in Portugal where once again the power
  of occupation is being recognised

6
Occupational Science

• Occupational Science is a discipline dedicated to
  understanding people as occupational beings.
• The topic appears relevant to a profession that
  includes occupation (or similar meaning words) in
  its title.

7
Occupational Science

• In the past half century the therapy or medical
  aspect of the professions calling has been the
  dominant concern to the extent that occupation
  became a neglected and sometimes rejected part of
  practice.

8
Occupational Science

• The rejection and neglect extended to education
  aimed at practitioners. Training in practical
  skills was replaced, to a large extent, with a
  range of basic sciences and techniques from other
  disciplines not necessarily related to what, how
  and why people engage in occupations.

9
Occupational Science

• In part that was because no basic science
  existed which concentrated on understanding such
  issues. The resurgence of interest in occupation
  in the last twenty years has led to the idea that
  we need to know more about it as a basic entity,
  and that such a knowledge base can inform
  occupational therapy practice.

10
Occupational Science

• The simple definition that occupational science
  is the rigorous study of humans as occupational
  beings is becoming part of the rhetoric of our
  profession.
• When one tries to understand the depth of this
  definition we find it is anything but simple.

11

Occupational Science

• Engagement in occupation
• is an innate behaviour
• is an integral aspect of humaness
• may even define humaness
• has evolutionary and biological as well as social
  functions.

12
Occupational Science

• The notion of humans as occupational beings
  touches on some of the most fundamental theories
  suggested, or questions asked, by scholars of
  many disciplines throughout recorded human
  history.

13
Occupational Science
John Locke (1632-1704)
14
Occupational Science

• Science may be divided properly into these Three
  sorts
• The Nature of Things, as they are in themselves,
  their Relations, and their manner of Operation
  
• that which Man himself ought to do, as a
• rational and voluntary Agent, for the
• Attainment of any Ends, especially Happiness
  
• The ways and means, whereby the Knowledge of both
  the one
• and the other of these, are attained and
  communicated
• (Locke, MDCXC Book4.)

15

Occupational Science

• In the case of education, LOCKE advised an
  understanding of the breadth of human
  occupational capacities, and the need to enable
  children to learn to balance their own particular
  talents. Well ahead of his time, he recommended
  the inclusion of artistic, cultural, domestic and
  handiwork subjects, and physical exercise, whilst
  children were assisted to develop "satisfactory
  characters, and good judgments, habits and
  manners
• (Locke, MDCXC Book4)

16
Occupational Science

• We encourage students of occupational science and
  therapy at Deakin University to
• understand the breadth of human occupational
  capacities,
• the need to be aware of and learn to balance
  their own particular talents.
• use a range of teaching tools, methods and
  approaches
• develop appropriate behaviours, judgments, habits
  and manners for the profession.

17
Occupational Science

• "...it will become us, as rational Creatures,
  to employ our Faculties about what they are most
  adapted to, and follow the direction of Nature,
  where it seems to point us out the way. For 'tis
  rational to conclude, that our proper Imployment
  lies in those Enquiries, and in that sort of
  Knowledge, which is most suited to our natural
  Capacities, and carries in it our greatest
  interest,
• (Locke, MDCXC (Book4) 327.)

18
Occupational Science

• 1917 Objectives of the National Society for
• the Promotion of Occupational Therapy
• "the advancement of occupation as a
• therapeutic measure
• the study of the effect of occupation
• upon the human being
• and the scientific dispensation of this knowledge

19
Occupational Science

• We have become so good at looking for new routes,
  and at adaptation when we think we have found one
  that nearly goes in the right direction, that we
  no longer know that we need our own path.
• Mostly, we fit into practice situations snugly
  and competently, adopting whatever it's chosen
  philosophy might be along with its orientation to
  occupation.

20

Occupational Science

• A discipline is a branch of knowledge.
• As a discipline, occupational science
• does not belong to any one group or person,
• and will grow according to research
• that extends its foundation knowledge.
• Occupational science is multidisciplinary
• despite the foundation knowledge,
• having been drawn from occupational therapy
• beliefs and philosophies.

21
Occupational Science

• McLaughlin Gray, found that the essence of
• occupation is that it is
• goal directed,
• carries meaning,
• is repeatable,
• is perceived as 'doing' by those
• engaged in it.

22
Occupational Science

• A synthesis of doing, being and becoming.
• 
  (Wilcock)
• 'It is through doing that people become what they
  have the potential to be'.
• 
  
  (Archer)

23
Occupational Science

• Occupational science is needed, if for nothing
• else, to differentiate between the negative and
• positive effects.
• How can we call ourselves health scientists if
• we cant justify the benefits or talk with
• evidence about potential negative effects of
• the media we use for therapy.

24
Occupational Science

• It is not only the people with medically
• defined disorder of body or mind
• who are occupationally handicapped.
• Occupational therapists could work as
• agents of change able to respond
• and develop according to rapidly
• changing economies and values.

25
Occupational Science

• The argument that occupational science cannot
  inform practice is unfounded.
• Indeed, occupational science inquiry appears to
  have the potential to extend practice into new
  areas of intervention.

26
Occupational Science

• Occupation is the biological mechanism for human
  health and survival and therefore all people have
  inbuilt needs to engage in occupation.

27
Occupational Science

• Occupational therapists
• like to think about the 'art' of therapy and have
  a tendency towards holism and the pragmatics of
  'real life
• They often feel uncomfortable with 'science'
• of the number crunching kind.
• It is the gathering of 'knowledge' that is the
  meaning given to the 'science' in occupational
  science.

28
Occupational Science

• The argument that occupational science cannot
  inform practice is unfounded.
• Indeed, occupational science inquiry appears to
  have the potential to extend practice into new
  areas of intervention.

29
Occupational Science

• Questions asked by practitioners may provide the
  substance of occupational science enquiry.

30
Occupational Science

• Vincenza Pols study on best practice in
  dementia care in supported care hostels found
  that
• occupation is a requirement for residents
  adaptation to the environment of low dependency
  care.
• risk factors to health - occupational
  deprivation and injustice would result if this
  finding was not taken seriously.
• the occupational needs of staff and management
  also needed to be met if residents were to
  experience well being

31
Occupational Science

• Cherie Archer
• Based her ethnographic approach to research about
  apraxia on occupational science
• Defined apraxia occupationally as inability or
  difficulty converting intention into deed due to
  disordered concepts and processes of doing as a
  consequence of neurological lesions in adulthood.
  
• Found that taking an occupational approach to
  apraxia is useful in both assessment and
  treatment.

32
Occupational Science

• Additionally, occupational science will uncover
  potentially new directions for practice and,
  already, have pointed attention towards issues
  such as occupational deprivation and injustice.

33
Occupational Science

• These emerged as important in terms of community
  and socio-political health issues, and suggest
  that occupational therapy education in the future
  could embrace a population (public) health
  approach as well as one restricted to dysfunction
  according to the medical model. In line with
  World Health Organisation rhetoric there is
  global support for that change of direction.

34
Occupational Science

• In terms of challenges to the necessity of a
  basic science of occupation, one criticism has
  been that practitioners do not read basic
  research and that it does not inform practice.
  If that is the case I suggest it is a major cause
  for concern one that educators need to address.
  A profession that does not base itself upon
  research is almost doomed in a scientific and
  economic rationalist world

35
Occupational Science

• REGIMEN SANITATIS
• Hippocrates Rules for health
• 2000 years of preventive and curative
• health care that included action and
• rest as one of 6 Rules

36
Occupational Science

• All the Nations and ages have agreed that the
  morning season is the proper time for speculative
  studies, and those employments that require the
  faculties of the mind. For then the stock of the
  spirits is undiminished, and in its greatest
  plenty the head is clear and serene, the
  passions are quieted and forgot
  
• George Cheyne

37
Occupational Science

• Last (1987), a biographer of public health,
  defines it as
• the combination of sciences, skills and beliefs
  that is directed to the maintenance and
  improvement of the health of all the people.

38
Occupational Science

• The language of most occupational therapy texts
  and journals, even recent ones, remains couched
  in medically based language.
• This almost invisible influence tends to maintain
  the long term relationship with medicine, and to
  retard the development of occupational
  philosophies outside it.

39
Occupational Science

• Educational Issues
• The addition to undergraduate education of a
  foundation science about people as occupational
  beings alongside biological and social sciences
  has the potential to enable students to
  understand better the unique contribution
  occupational therapy can provide in improving the
  experience of health and well-being.
• -

40
Occupational Science

• SUBJECTS
• Occupation and Health
• Wellbeing Conference
• Foundations of Occupational Science and Therapy

41
Occupational Science
Well-being Conference Fourth year students at
the University of South Australia
42
Occupational Science
Well-being Conference Fourth year students at
the University of South Australia
43
Occupational Science

• (Week 1)
• 1st year occupational science and therapy
  students
• described occupation
• Takes up time
• Employment
• Career path
• Having a role
• Day to day tasks

44
Occupational Science
MEETS PHYSICAL MENTAL SPIRITUAL SOCIAL
NEEDS
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE TALENTS INTERESTS
CAPACITIES
45
Occupational Science
MENTAL /SPIRITUAL
ACTIVE
REST
Development continuum
SOCIAL
PHYSICAL
46
Occupational Science
SOCIO-CULTURAL
ENVIRONMENT
SYSTEMS
BUILT
NATURAL
47
BECOMING
DEVELOPMENT, GROWTH, ACHIEVEMENT

DOING
BEING
EDUCATION WORK LEISURE SELFCARE CHOICE/
OBLIGATION PHYSICAL NEEDS MET
PURPOSE SATISFACTION MEANING
BELIEF EMPOWERMENT
48
POSITIVE HEALTH
DOING WELL
WELL_BEING

RESTRICTION IMBALANCE
DEPRIVATION STRESS
DISEASE, DYSFUNCTION, DEATH
49
POSITIVE HEALTH
BECOMING

SPIRITUAL MENTAL
PHYSICAL SOCIAL
ACTIVE
REST
DOING
BEING
Development continuum
INDIVIDUAL TALENTS CAPACITIES
SOCIAL/ PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT SYSTEMS
DISEASE, DYSFUNCTION, DEATH
50
Occupational Science

• Further to Manuels wish
• My wish is that occupational therapists and
  scientists create a real link between the
  authorities and societies who are enabling
  population health through occupation including
  programs for people with occupational dysfunction
• The socio-political questions connected with the
  problem of lack of understanding is immense
  global importance