The Memory Unit OT

“The occupational profile is a summary of a client’s (person’s, group’s, or population’s) occupational history and experiences, patterns of daily living, interests, values, needs, and relevant contexts” (AOTA, 2020, p. 21).

Traditionally, this is done by interviewing the client, as the intent is to obtain this information from the client’s perspective in order to promote a client-centered approach.

But what if my client has dementia, and this sort of interview process is too much or too overwhelming for them? Do I just skip the Occupational Profile?

In my experience, the Occupational Profile is just as important in individuals with dementia as it is with anyone else. Just because someone has dementia, doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve the same client-centered approach that the Occupational Therapy profession strives for.

So when we look at the completing the Profile with someone with dementia, I think we really need to attack it from multiple angles.

Interviewing the resident’s closest family member, care partner, or DPOA is a great way to gather information about who they were before the onset of their disease, and how those things have morphed and changed since their diagnosis.

But I would also advocate for trying to complete the Profile with the resident as well. This likely will not be as structured as the family interview, and you may even find yourself gathering data over the course of several days or weeks.

Now, many of the questions on the original Occupational Profile may be challenging to even get to with a resident with dementia.

At least, that’s what I’ve found in my own practice. So, I’ve created a modified version of the Profile that I use during data collection to then transfer what information I’ve gathered over to the actual Occupational Profile. It’s essentially just a tapered down version of the very broad questions that are included in the original Profile. I’ve tried to avoid using any open-ended questions, keeping most questions to a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ style. I’ve also included space to note any personal information the resident just happens to disclose during everyday conversation.

I find that when I combine information from the resident using this modified template, and information from their family/care partners using the original template, the end result is a cohesive picture of the individual’s personal interests, values, and context.

You can find the AOTA’s Occupational Profile here, and can print my modified version for easier data collection below.

Disclaimer: Using this modified version alone cannot be considered completing the Occupational Profile. This is just a tool to help you complete the Occupational Profile in it’s entirety.