Connection Cottage and Pathways
Dr. Tina McNulty and Occupational Therapy graduate students are collaborating with the staff at the Connection Cottage. The Connection Cottage opened in spring of 2007 and is a program designed to assist persons who have mental health issues who must return to work because they are running out of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.
A current study with this site compares personal, environmental, and occupational factors present in persons who “stick with” the program versus members who drop out the program. Two assessments that are a part of the study include the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and Adult Sensory Profile.
Dr. McNulty is also coordinating a project in which second year occupational therapy students work in pairs to assess a client at Pathways, a local day program for persons with mental health needs. What is particularly exciting about this project is that the staff identified a specific need they believed Occupational Therapy could uniquely address. The staff have observed an increasing number of persons with mental health conditions who have comorbid conditions or limitations exacerbated by aging and lifestyle factors.
This combination of health problems has put these persons at risk for losing their housing. The students assess these clients and design interventions as appropriate to improve the person’s functioning, and potentially their ability to maintain community-based housing.
