April is occupational therapy month. Appropriately so, occupational therapy professionals unite each April for the American Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference and Expo. This year they will be heading to the “Heart of America”, Kansas City. Our staff occupational therapist, Jocelyn Lewis, has the opportunity to present at the conference alongside three OTs from across the country. The topic: Let’s HUDdle! How OT Practitioners are Collaborating to Ensure Best Practice within HUD-funded Home Modification Programs Nationwide.   

Direct Advocacy & Resource Center has been awarded a grant from HUD for the Older Adult Home Modification Program (OAHMP) or “Rural Home Access Program” as we call it. This program assists low-income, older adults by reducing the risk of falls by modifying their homes. These home modifications increase safety, access, and facilitate improved function in the home environment allowing older adults to remain in their homes or “age in place.”  This program supports the founding tenets of both the occupational therapy profession and the independent living philosophy.   

The AOTA presentation will focus on how OT practitioners are implementing home modification interventions across various non-profit settings nationwide using standardized practices. It will also focus on peer support to ensure best practice via the monthly HUDdle, a virtual meeting with several OTs involved in the OAHMP. Jocelyn will share her unique experience at Direct Advocacy & Resource Center, both as a remote employee and working in a non-traditional practice setting for OTs. Additionally, she will share the success stories of participants served with this funding.