ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Management of Disease
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1563025
This article is part of the Research TopicSports in Neurodegenerative DiseasesView all 4 articles
Living with dementia in a care home: facilitating participation in activities
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- 2Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
In Slovenia, about 5% of people over 65 live in care homes. Although there is no accurate data on the prevalence and incidence of dementia, the number of people with dementia is increasing, mainly due to ageing. As life expectancy increases, so does the prevalence of dementia, which poses major challenges for ageing societies, including Slovenia. It is estimated that more than 40,000 people currently live with dementia in Slovenia. Occupational therapists are integral members of care teams in care homes. Their job is to provide residents with meaningful activities and improve quality of life.The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of different methods and techniques used by occupational therapists in the care of people with dementia in care homes.Methods: An online survey was conducted, targeting occupational therapists working in residential care facilities. The questionnaire, developed based on professional experience and knowledge of occupational therapy in such facilities, used a 5-point Likert scale (never, occasionally, often, very often, always) to assess the frequency of strategies and techniques used in dementia care.The results showed differences in the use of therapeutic strategies. In Slovenia, occupational therapists often focus on training and enabling people with dementia to be involved in activities of daily living, while in other countries more emphasis is placed on training carers and health professionals and including people with dementia in leisure activities, including sports.Discussion: Occupational therapists play a crucial role in improving the quality of life of people with dementia. Training in this area may be inadequate, which could explain the lower integration of sports and similar activities into therapy. Another factor could be the stage of dementia at which such activities are no longer suitable without modifications. A deeper investigation into reasons for the limited use of sports in dementia care by occupational therapists is warranted. It is crucial to recognize that each person with dementia experiences physical activity differently and faces unique challenges. Occupational therapy can greatly enhance their quality of life.
Keywords: Occupational Therapy, Dementia, Quality of Life, Activities, care home
Received: 18 Jan 2025; Accepted: 16 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Galof. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Katarina Galof, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.