ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to understand and explain the experiences of participation of older people with disabilities in an adult day-care program. Through this study, we found ground materials for pre paring support programs that promote elderly disabled peoples' adaptation to adult day-care and the roles of occupational therapy to be considered in such care. Methods : A qualitative research was conducted to understand the experiences of the elderly in an adult daycare center. This study collected data through in-depth interviews with participants, participant observations, field notes, and program diaries from December 1st, 2005 to April 30th, 2006, and analyzed them using the grounded theory method. Results : In the analysis, 115 concepts, 12 categories, and 34 subcategories were emerged from the raw data, and all are constituted on the paradigm model. ‘Reconstructed new daily livingʼ was the care category in this study and was found to be related with the change of two factors: daily routine and social network. The part icipants showed three types of participation: dependent participation, independent participation, and interdepen dent participation, and each of the participation types showed differences in expectation, meaning of activity, and interactions with peers. Conclusion : This study explained the significance of the participation of the elderly in an adult care center, and provided strategies for occupational therapy intervention to enhance their participation.