Daily Living (AOTA): A Case Study

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) defines occupations as “Various kinds of life activities in which individuals, groups or populations engage, including activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation” (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014). Two of the most important occupations that an individual engages in are activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). The term ADL refers to tasks that are almost automatic and involve taking care of one’s own personal health, while the term IADL refers to tasks that involve both the home and the community. (AOTA, 2014). Low vision is a growing health condition that can have a substantial impact on the performance of such daily occupations. Low vision is a decreased level of vision that cannot be corrected by any interventions such as glasses, contact lenses, or surgery. Low vision creates many challenges for individuals to accomplish even the simplest of daily activities. Low vision can affect individuals of any age; however, such a diagnosis is most common in the elderly population (National Eye Institute …show more content…
This study confirmed that an individual with a low vision diagnosis has a substantial amount of social support due to both the physical and psychological affects low vision has on a person. This study also confirmed that the depressive symptoms that these individuals experience are partly due to limitations in performance of daily occupations. Kempen et al. (2014) found social supports’ role is vital to an individual with low vision. A lack of social support may generate depressive symptoms, while a high level of social support can help to alleviate these