Nearly half a million people died from drug overdoses between 2000-2014, an average of 78 Americans each day (Costa, 2016). Today, Indiana is ranked 15th in the nation for drug overdose (Indiana House Democratic Caucus, 2017). The effect of the epidemic is impacting and impairing the occupational performance of individuals with addiction, their family members, and communities. Occupational therapy (OT) can play a vital and unique role with addiction recovery utilizing a holistic outlook to help individuals recognize the effects that addiction has on their life and assist in identifying ways to replace addiction with meaningful occupations. The purpose of this Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) project was to implement an outreach support program at A Better Life - Brianna's Hope (ABLBH), an addiction support and recovery group, utilizing occupational therapy foundations, implications, and theories as a guide to expand resources available, provide awareness and education, promote community involvement, and increase the sustainability of ABLBH. After completion of a needs assessment and literature, it was determined to include multiple levels of practice within the outreach program including individual/members, the organization, and community. This paper describes the need for implementation of the outreach program, the outcomes, and the discontinuation process for quality improvement of services and sustainability following the DCE. Outcomes for each level of practice included increased education and understanding on life skills for individuals, resulting from a 5-week occupation-based wellness workshop titled Rediscovering Life; improved organizational sustainability resulting from leadership training and financial gains; and increased prevention, education, and resources provided to the community through Connecting the Links, a resource fair that included 27 individuals as vendors and 60 attendees (87 total).

Creator

• Haffner, Maria

Contributors

• Wasmuth, Sally

Publisher

• University of Indianapolis

Language

• en

Identifier

• Haffner, Mariah..pdf

Keyword

• Health Sciences

• Occupational Therapy

Date created

• 2018-05

Rights statement

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/