The LOTIS Trial: Occupational Therapy for Elderly People
Author Information
Author(s): de Craen Anton J. M, Gussekloo Jacobijn, Blauw Gerard J, Willems Charles G, Westendorp Rudi G. J
Primary Institution: Leiden University Medical Centre
Hypothesis
Can unsolicited occupational therapy decelerate the increase in disability in high-risk elderly people?
Conclusion
Unsolicited occupational therapy in high-risk elderly participants does not decelerate the increase in disability over time.
Supporting Evidence
- The study included 402 participants, with 202 in the intervention group and 200 in the control group.
- 55 participants in the intervention group declined the proposed occupational therapy.
- The increase in disability was similar in both the intervention and control groups over the 2-year follow-up.
Takeaway
The study looked at whether giving elderly people therapy without them asking for it would help them stay independent. It found that it didn't really make a difference.
Methodology
This was a randomised controlled trial with a 2-year follow-up comparing unsolicited occupational therapy to no therapy.
Potential Biases
Participants who declined the intervention may have diluted the treatment effect.
Limitations
Take-up of occupational therapy was not uniformly high, and many participants already had assistive devices.
Participant Demographics
Participants were 402 community-dwelling 85-year-old people with a Mini-Mental State Examination score of >18 points.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.75
Confidence Interval
95% CI, −1.1–1.2
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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