Geriatric Research

Abstract

The American Occupational Therapy Association's Centennial Vision articulates the need for occupational therapy to be science driven and evidence based in major practice areas. This article provides a review on the state of the occupational therapy research published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT) in the area of productive aging in the past 2 years (2008-2009). The article identifies the types of research published, assesses how well the journal is meeting the Centennial Vision in productive aging research, and discusses implications for utilization of the evidence by occupational therapy practitioners. Although many basic research articles provide a foundation for future intervention development and further define practice roles, the AJOT articles addressing productive aging represent diverse research questions and have produced a body of knowledge that is not easily translated to practice. More effectiveness studies are needed to provide adequate evidence for occupational therapy intervention with older adults.