Occupational Therapy has an important role to play in promoting maximum functioning in the elderly. Activities should be more than “busy work”. They are important therapeutic tools which, when properly used, promote self-esteem and a feeling of usefulness. This is of Particular significance in working with the elderly. The authors have attempted to describe the application of these principles in treating elderly patients on a fourteen-bed psychogeriatric unit. The occupational therapist functioned as a vital part of the rehabilitative team for both in-patients and those outside of hospital.
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