Ms. Joan Brangan
Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy

Projects

• Title
  • Engagement and social interaction in dementia care settings. A call for occupational and social justice
• Summary
  • People with dementia are entitled as citizens to equal opportunities to engage in social and occupational activities of their choice. In residential care settings, people with dementia have limited opportunity for free choice and engagement. Limitation or deprivation of people's choice and experience of valued occupations have been described elsewhere as occupational injustice. This research examined levels of occupation and engagement in a sample of five residential care settings in Ireland which included 73 residents with dementia and/or enduring mental health diagnoses. Using the Assessment Tool for Occupational and Social Engagement (ATOSE), results showed low levels of engagement across the sample - residents spent between 17-45% of their time engaged versus 55-83% non-engaged while in their communal sitting rooms. These results highlight issues of occupational and social injustice within the residential care sector. A critical gerontology lens was employed to define and explore concepts of citizenship, as well as occupational and social justice, in the context of this research project.
• Funding Agency
  • None
• Date From
  • 2016
• Date To
  • 2017

• Title
  • Occupational Engagement of Adults Ageing with Intellectual Disabilities.
• Summary
  • Data from the TILDA Intellectual Disability Supplement (IDS) dataset examined factors influencing engagement in daily occupations. Factors within the physical environment, and physical health were found to impact on engagement across all three domains of self-care, productivity and leisure occupations. Ability to get around the home and the local community, and physical health were the strongest predictors of engagement.
• Funding Agency
  • IDS TILDA
• Date From
  • 2016
• Date To
  • 2017

• Title
  • Measuring occupation and social engagement in a residential dementia and mental health setting
• Summary
  • Objectives: Despite an abundance of research acknowledging the value of interactive occupation and social engagement for older people, and the limits to these imposed by many residential settings, there is a lack of research which measures and analyzes these concepts. This research provided a method for measuring, analysing and monitoring interactive occupation and social engagement levels of residents in a secure residential setting for older people with mental health problems and dementia. It proposed suggestions for changes to improve the well-being of residents in residential settings. Method: In this case study design, the Assessment Tool for Occupational and Social Engagement (ATOSE) provided a 'whole room' time sampling technique to observe resident and staff interactive occupation and social engagement within the communal sitting room over a five-week period. Researchers made contemporaneous notes to supplement the ATOSE data and to contextualise the observations. Results: Residents in the sitting room were passive, sedentary, and unengaged for 82.73% of their time. Staff, who were busy and active 98.84% of their time in the sitting room, spent 43.39% of this time in activities which did not directly engage the residents. The physical, social and occupational environments did not support interactive occupation or social engagement. Conclusions: The ATOSE assessment tool, in combination with narrative data, provided a clear measurement and analysis of interactive occupation and social engagement in this and other residential settings. Suggestions for change include a focus on the physical, social, occupational, and sensory environments and the culture of care throughout the organization.
• Funding Agency
  • Not funded
• Date From
  • 2015
• Date To
  • 2016

• Title
  • Raising Dementia Awareness in a Community
• Summary
  • Evaluation of understanding and attitudes of transition year students and their families about dementia. Creating education and awareness about making a community 'dementia friendly'.
• Date From
  • October 2013
• Date To
  • October 2014

• Title
  • Use of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills as a predictor of safety of community dwelling older adults.
• Summary
  • Evaluation of the AMPS assessment results obtained in a rehabilitation unit of an acute hospital as an accurate predictor of overall safety for community based older adults.
• Date From
  • 2010
• Date To
  • 2011

• Title
  • Trinity Interdisciplinary Consortium for Health Education - TICHE
• Summary
  • Collaborative educational project was provided to 103 health care professional participants - 26 dietitians, 32 Speech & language, 19 OTs, 26 PTs in Dublin, Galway and Cork. The tender called for interdisciplinary training in basic research skills to enable participants to use research to support Evidence Based Practice (EBP), within a framework that promotes interdisciplinary learning and future collaboration in research. Confidence levels in research skills was measured pre and post course attendance
• Funding Agency
  • HSE
• Date From
  • 2012
• Date To
  • 2013

• Title
  • Impact of an evidence based practice course on Occupational Therapists confidence levels and goals
• Summary
  • A HSE supported initiative to provide 7 training courses to 137 OT's throughout Ireland delivered by myself and 2 colleagues, led to a research project evaluating the impact of the programmes on therapists confidence levels and their goals to integrate EBP within their clinical practice.
• Date From
  • 2010
• Date To
  • 2011