Panel: Aging, Place and Occupation: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

Humans are occupational beings (Hasselkus, 2002; Mandel, Jackson, Zemke, Clark & Nelson, 1999; Wilcock, 1998), and should be \u27studied in purposeful, meaningful interactions with their environments, not as decontextualixed beings\u27 (Henderson, in Zemke & Clark, 1996, p. 421). Henderson states the need for the development of a vocabulary to describe the environmental interactions that occur within the scope of occupations. Hasselkus (2002) refers to the home as the \u27place where we belong\u27 (p. 30), in which our occupations provide an \u27organized system of meaning\u27 to the individual (p.28). When an aging individual experiences a decline in function (necessitating environmental modifications) or moves to a new home, occupations can be disrupted, causing fragmentation of routines, relationships, and identity (Brown & Perkins, 2002). The individual needs to create a new routine and system of meaning to reestablish their sense of self, through the use of everyday occupations, and the meanings ascribed to them.This panel will explore the occupations related to aging- in-place and moving to new homes (assisted living facilities), to add to our knowledge of the interaction between occupation, environment and aging. Rather than have each panelist read a short paper, we plan on integrating our information in the initial presentation according to the following proposed outline: Overview of Aging, Place and Occupation (10 minutes - Fagan)Current Research in Aging, Place and Occupation from Multidisciplinary Perspectives: The Occupation of Aging- in-Place (10 minutes - Sanford, Cruz)The Occupation of Making a New Home in an Assisted Living Facility (10 minutes - Cutchin & Fagan)Common Themes and Differences Amongst the Disciplines View of the Occupation / Environment Interaction Occupational Science (5 minutes - Fagan, Cruz)Human Geography (5 minutes - Cutchin)Architecture (5 minutes - Sanford)Future Directions (1-2 minutes per panelist, describing their future research plans)Questions and Discussion (40 minutes) Questions will be elicited, and will open for discussion amongst panel members and the participants. Possible questions might include: What are the preferred occupations of individuals who are aging- in-place?What is the relationship between preferred occupations and environmental modifications made to the home?What are the preferred occupations of individuals who live in assisted living facilities?Did the preferred occupations of the aging individuals\u27 influence their choice of assisted living facility in any way?What are the similarities / differences in the preferred occupations of both groups? Other questions may be suggested by the participants, and will be discussed among the panel members