Occupation

Abstracts
Posters
Contact E-mail Addresses
connie.hurley@hotmail.co.uk
Author Biographies
Connie Kendall is currently undertaking her final year of
BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy course at Sheffield Hallam
University. Connie has a strong interest in the impact of the
landscape and built environment on mental and public health
which first began when completing her degree in BA (Hons)
Landscape Architecture at Birmingham City University. Connie
is interested in forging links between design and health
professionals and was able to put this into practice on her role
emerging placement at the research centre Lab4Living and the
Design4Health conference.
P105
Plot to pot to plate – the therapeutic journey from
allotment to cookbook for clients in Fife
Sanders D, NHS Fife
In 2007, the Fife Mental Health Service acquired a disused and
derelict allotment plot, which has been gradually developed by
clients. The plot is now thriving, clients commonly describing
many therapeutic benefits to their mental health and wellbeing,
which is supported by Partridge (2010) who reviewed the
literature around the psychological benefits of allotments.
However, transferring healthier eating and dietary variety
into routines proved more challenging, despite running
complementary allotment focused cooking group throughout
the non-growing months.
With diet and weight management becoming an increasingly
important issue, this appeared to be magnified within mental
health where psychological barriers, sedentary lifestyles, poor
diet, and medication side effects commonly impacted lifestyle
changes (Gatineau et al 2011).
Feedback also suggested a need for a concise and simple guide
to low cost, easy to make meals, with clear information on
healthier eating and dietary balance.
In an attempt to facilitate the transfer from OT kitchen to people
making sustainable changes to their dietary habits and routines,
a bid to the local Food and Health strategy group was successful
to create an allotment based cookbook, with support from the
trusts Health Promotion Department.
Funding provided equipment, materials, and the production of
the cookbook. The OT service covered costs to run the group
and oversee the production of the book. The group ran weekly,
with ever tightening timeframe.
The outcome from all aspects of the project are demonstrated
and captured from both a client and staff’s perspective. This
incorporates the data gathered from participation in the groups
and individual pieces of work. It also demonstrates postpublication
outcomes of how the cookbook is now being used
by clients and carers at home, and by staff within and outwith
therapy.
References
Gatineau M, Dent M (2011) Obesity and Mental Health, Oxford:
National Obesity Observatory
Partridge J (2010) The Psychological Benefits of Allotment
Gardening. Clinical Psychology Forum 211 (July 2010), 38–41
Keywords
Mental health, Practice development, Innovative practice, NHS
Contact E-mail Addresses
davidsanders1@nhs.net
Author Biographies
David Sanders is an Occupational Therapist with the NHS Fife
Mental Health Service. He has experience working with a variety
of adult populations within mental health, and currently provides
input to an assertive community outreach team.
P106
The value of contextual activity in complex neurodisability:
a baking group case study
Murray-Smith A, Meredith N, Royal Hosptial for Neurodisability
Activity is the core of OT and throughout our training we are
taught about the inherent value of occupation and activity in
recovery. Evidence has shown that participation in meaningful
activity is vital to drive change in injured brains (Bayona, 2005).
Current practice places significant focus on cost effectiveness
and therapy outcomes in terms of measureable units. Traditional
OT treatment activities, like baking, are time, cost and labour
intensive and in a chronic patient population changes are often
very small and happen very slowly. This case study follows a
long-term resident at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability,
Putney who responded spontaneously within a task during an
OT baking group.
Mrs X attended six baking group sessions. The groups consisted
of three to four patients, were run by three staff members
and lasted an hour. Due to her low level of functional ability,
hand over hand assistance was used to facilitate participation.
Her performance, as well as that of others in the group, was
measured using an informal behavioural checklist.
Mrs X displayed an increase in her level of arousal, frequency of
use of appropriate facial expressions, and an ability to use tools
and she demonstrated purposeful, appropriate movements in
the sessions. This was seen as significant progress for her as
she had not responded in a purposeful way to stimuli in other
contexts. As OTs, this is both inspiring and challenging. We are
forced to consider reasons for not promoting pure, task-based
activity at both individual and organisations levels as well as the
implications of this for our patients. In the current outcomedriven
culture are we sacrificing time spent in contextual activity
for other tasks that are less labour-intensive and provide faster,
measureable results?
This case study demonstrates the results obtainable from a
patient given the opportunity to participate in contextual activity
which has obvious implications for current and future serviceusers.
References
Bayona, N. A., Bitensky, J., Salter, K. and Teasell, R. (2005) The
Role of Task Specific Training in Rehabilitation Therapies. Topics
in Stroke Rehabilitation, 12, 58–65.
Keywords
Neurological practice, Service improvement or transformation,
Practice – present and future, Voluntary/third sector services
Contact E-mail Addresses
amurraysmith@rhn.org.uk
Author Biographies
Amber Murray-Smith qualified in 2006 with a BSc (Hons) in
OT from the University of Northampton, and completed Band
5 and Band 6 rotations in the acute setting across various
specialisms. In 2011 she took a Senior Specialist role in Oncology
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