British Journal of Occupational Therapy

This case study followed a 6-year-old child with cerebral palsy for an additional 24 weeks after a 12-week pilot study of hippotherapy (HPOT).

Pre-post measures were performed using a video motion capture system before and after 12 weeks, showing head/trunk control improvements.

The third measure after 24 more weekly treatments showed no further improvement on the original variables. However, an unanticipated improvement in postural sway was found at the end of 9 months.

This suggests that additional investigations are needed with more children with cerebral palsy over longer periods to identify outcomes from extended interventions beyond the 6–12 weeks of most published HPOT studies. Such further work could support better treatment planning and inform discharge criteria considering diminishing returns. The information would provide better evidence-based criteria for referrals and funding. This may make HPOT more accessible for those with disabilities who can benefit in specific and predictable ways.

Purposeful activity is believed to yield better results than meaningless exercises during motor rehabilitation. The objective of this paper is to provide a narrative review of the literature regarding the influence of object affordance on motor performance, a factor that contributes to the purposefulness of a task.

Thirty-five reviewed articles were selected following an online search on PubMed, Cinahl and Google Scholar and an inspection of their references. Results of reviewed studies are discussed in relation to (1) the different approaches used to increase object affordance; (2) the influence of clinical conditions on the relationship between object affordance and motor performance; and (3) the influence of object affordance on immediate motor performance vs motor learning.

The three main approaches used to increase object affordance relate to (a) the number of objects used during the task; (b) the functional information that these objects convey; and (c) the functional goals of the task. Reviewed results suggest that increasing object affordance can produce beneficial effects on immediate motor performance and motor learning, and especially support the effect of varying the number of objects. However, most evidence on object affordance has not come from high quality research.

Clinicians should favour the use of tasks with high object affordance during both clinical assessment and therapy in order to promote optimal motor performance. More high quality research is needed to assess the influence of object affordance during therapy and on long-term motor learning and clinical outcomes.

Research identifies the value of animal companionship for people of various ages and with physical and mental health diagnoses. However, there is limited research into the value of animal companionship for the homeless population.

This exploratory study aimed to investigate the value that homeless people find in animal companionship; the extent to which homelessness impacts on the ability to have animal companions; and interventions that health professionals can implement to reduce barriers to animal companionship. Twenty-six people were interviewed during Homeless Health Outreach Team outreach. Descriptive analysis of the responses to the semi-structured interviews was carried out.

Results indicated that the majority of participants had given up a pet, and wanted a pet but could not due to their homelessness. The impact of giving up a companion animal was significant. Difficulties associated with pet ownership focused mostly on the living environment and the cost. There were several benefits to having companion animals. Participants viewed that having a pet made a difference to their lives in that it provided friendship and responsibility and contributed to emotional wellbeing.

It is suggested that occupational therapists need to be aware of the impact that pet ownership has on the lives of homeless people and to explore ways in which they can assist with this.