Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
This study at EmpowerSCI exhibits the importance of community-level rehabilitation, including OT, and its effects on the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Community programs such as EmpowerSCI offer a promising new sector for OTs to offer effective client-centered care to the SCI patient population. Also, the study shows how volunteering at EmpowerSCI influences the values and motivations of rehabilitation students, including future OTs.
Primary Author and Speaker: Gillian Hopkins
Additional Authors and Speakers: Saumya George, Jenna Schunke, and Brittany Zouzias
PURPOSE: Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) have a rare opportunity to participate in residential camps, Empower SCI, to improve quality of life (QoL). The purpose of the research was to determine if there is an increase in hope among the participants with SCI and on volunteerism among the residential aides (RAs) who volunteer at the camp.
DESIGN: This pilot quasi-experimental study using a repeated measures design included 10 participants with SCI and 20 RAs who applied to volunteer for the camp in the Summer of 2019.
METHODS: The Herth Hope Index (HHI), a 12-item survey, captures the concept of hope. For RAs we used the Volunteer Function Inventory (VFI), consisting of six subscales. A repeated measures ANOVA compared changes in the VFI and HHI over time for both groups prior to the camp, directly post camp, and three months later. The subscales of the VFI and individual questions on the HHI were analyzed.
RESULTS: The participants with SCI showed a significant increase in hope between pre-camp and directly post-camp. A significant decrease in hope was reported between directly post-camp and 3-months post. RAs reported increased social and protective values through the VFI, directly after and three months post camp experience compared to pre-camp.
CONCLUSION: IMPACT STATEMENT: Our study at EmpowerSCI exhibited the importance of community level rehabilitation, including OT on QoL of individuals with SCI. The significant increase in hope from pre- and directly post-camp describes the importance of post-hospitalization community rehab programs for individuals with SCI. The decrease in hope from directly post-camp to 3 months post-camp suggests that the beneficial results decrease over time. Thus, continued participation in residential community programs may be most beneficial for sustained self-reported levels of hope. Additionally, RAs' motivations for volunteering stayed consistent throughout the study. Further larger studies are strongly recommended.
References
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