Texture of Life: Purposeful Activities in the Context of Occupation

Occupational therapy is based on the principle that engaging in occupations and their inherent activities can powerfully affect a person's health and well-being. Practitioners must continually find ways to provide activity-based interventions that clients find personally meaningful, socially satisfying, and culturally relevant.

This new edition of The Texture of Life presents a theoretical foundation for the idea of occupation, framed within historical and current practice and developed from within the occupational therapy profession. Using language from the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd Edition, and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, updated chapters detail aspects of occupation such as activity analysis and synthesis, the occupational profile, and clinical reasoning and explore how to apply activity across various settings.

Case scenarios guide readers through the intervention process, providing clear, practical examples of activity-based occupational therapy. Exercises in the book and on the enclosed CD-ROM challenge students and practitioners to consider their own biases and perspectives, the unique set of circumstances that each client presents, and the most appropriate intervention strategy.

Students and experienced practitioners alike can use this important resource to further develop their understanding of occupation, better articulate its complex nature, and apply its principles in the clinic.

Chapter highlights include Occupation Across the Life Span; Activity Analysis; The Occupational Profile; Activity Synthesis as a Means to Occupation; Clinical Reasoning; Application of Activities to Practice; Occupation and Activities in Groups; Leisure Occupations; Work Occupations; Self-Care Occupations; and Care and Caregiving.

Jim Hinojosa, PhD, OT, FAOTA, is Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, New York.

Marie-Louise Blount, AM, OT, FAOTA, is Clinical Adjunct Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, New York.