Maintaining Participation and Wellbeing in Children, Adults and Older People

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Maintaining Participation and Wellbeing in Children, Adults and Older People Evaluation of the Unique Contribution of Occupational Therapy to Maintaining Participation and Wellbeing of Female Adult Refugees using an Arts Intervention Refuge means place of safety (dictionary.com, 2012) which is what people fleeing from conflict and persecution expect to find in a new country, although too often they can be met with hostility and prejudice. A refugee is someone who can no longer live in their own country as a result of violence or severe economic factors threatening their life (migrantwatchuk.org.uk, 2012). They have been granted asylum which distinguishes them from asylum seekers yet they still face many barriers to integration into their new communities and they are displaced geographically, economically, socially and occupationally. An occupational therapist can use their therapeutic skills to develop interventions to achieve occupational justice by engaging the group in creative activities. An arts programme will do this by helping female refugees to re-define their identities, roles and routines, allowing expression of creativity and promote social inclusion and integration. Furthermore it will develop skills, allow opportunities to practise their new language and provide an avenue to connect and to continue their culture. (WFOT, (Ref human displacement doc) The founders of occupational therapy were committed to the concept of social justice (Whiteford, 2005, p.79) and the occupational therapist will hope to achieve occupational justice for the group (Wilcock and Townsend, 2000). Refugees have often suffered occupational alienation in their own countries due to conflict and persecution and continue to be occupationally deprived in their new homes due to economic and social factors. Both states mean refugees have and are deprived of

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