Lifestyle Redesign

LR IRL — Lifestyle Redesign in Real Life

Aging at a Walking Pace

Jerry was a self-proclaimed “workaholic”, who, at 73 years outdated, spent his retirement staying booked and busy with private travels and persevering with to work part-time as a lawyer. While his general well being had begun to fluctuate years earlier, it was solely now that Jerry sought out help for the largest issue impacting his wellbeing- his poor sleep habits. This is what led him to obtain a referral to Lifestyle Redesign occupational remedy, and meet his new OT, a Fellow on the USC OT Faculty Practice, Susan Xing.

During his preliminary analysis, whereas Jerry was primarily involved along with his sleep high quality, Susan rapidly famous that there have been a number of behaviors that weren’t solely fueling poor sleep, but in addition affecting Jerry’s general wellbeing. For instance, Jerry had a behavior of snacking in mattress as he was making an attempt to go to sleep; this elicited a conditioned arousal response, really making it more durable to go to sleep. This, at the side of discomfort when sporting his CPAP and an inconsistent ache remedy routine, would lead to anxious emotions about not with the ability to go to sleep, poor sleep high quality, and waking up within the morning with fatigue and ache. Susan skillfully navigated this by prioritizing Jerry’s major considerations, whereas gently educating him on the radiating impact that his each day actions have been having on his general well being, and nurturing self-analysis to help Jerry in beginning to make adjustments that felt reasonable for him at this time limit.

Taking a client-centered strategy, lots of their preliminary remedy classes collectively targeted on problem-solving by way of Jerry’s sleep-related challenges. This concerned Susan offering ongoing schooling about how his habits have been contributing to poor sleep, adopted by self-analysis and occupational orchestration to implement the options Jerry was prepared to trial. After a number of classes of trial-and-error, Jerry was lastly able to strive monitoring his sleep patterns, and really rapidly noticed the worth in analyzing this knowledge to assist establish developments and help additional solution-seeking. Once he was in a position to see the ripple impact of his nighttime habits, Jerry grew to become open to seeing a nutritionist to assist along with his nightly snacking, exploring meditation practices to assist with anxiousness, and taking further steps to make utilizing his CPAP extra snug.

Within the sleep-focused classes, Susan subtly wove in interventions to help ache and fatigue administration. While Jerry valued protecting his physique in movement, strolling for a number of miles per day along with bodily remedy workout routines, his frequent overexertion would solely exacerbate his power again ache, gastrointestinal points, and knee ache (he was pending a complete knee arthroplasty). His inconsistent use of medicines and ache administration methods solely minimally helped to alleviate his signs. Susan collaborated with Jerry to interrupt down his strolling routine into extra manageable segments, whereas embedding required relaxation breaks all through the day; this supported Jerry in studying to steadiness his need to be energetic with the necessity to relaxation. By studying to take heed to his physique’s alerts earlier than reaching the purpose of overexertion, Jerry was in a position to preserve his mobility with out pushing his limits. The key shift got here when Jerry accepted that he may want lodging in sure environments to handle ache. For occasion, when touring, he started bringing a cushion for help and even began requesting wheelchair help at airports to alleviate the pressure on his physique. Initially resistant to those adjustments, Jerry ultimately appreciated how these lodging allowed him to take part extra meaningfully in actions with out exacerbating his ache.

By the tip of his time with Susan, Jerry’s targets had developed from merely managing his sleep to a broader sense of empowerment. Though his well being challenges have been ongoing, Jerry felt that he had a greater grasp of his routines and a renewed sense of management, enabling him to optimize his high quality of life as he aged. Through schooling, constant trial and error, and ongoing help, he was in a position to make significant adjustments to his each day routines, considerably enhancing his sleep high quality, power administration, and talent to handle ache. In reflecting on her time with Jerry, Susan shared,

“I realized that I can deliver education, but when it comes to the suggestions, it really needs to be client-driven for it to work. I think looking back…I probably could have done more motivational interviewing at the very get-go, but that was something that I was still developing along the way…Now I bring that skill into all of my sessions.” 
— Susan Xing, MSOT, OTR/L, LRC

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Research Spotlight

Telehealth Lifestyle Pilot Study for Improving Occupational Performance in Older Adults

A big proportion of older adults typically take care of power diseases and face challenges in sustaining their well being and balancing significant actions. Occupational remedy life-style interventions have been proven to enhance well being in older adults. This research launched the Holistic Occupational Performance Empowerment (HOPE) program, which consisted of a six-week, telehealth-based, occupation-centered life-style intervention.

Results confirmed that nearly 70% of individuals’ personalised life-style targets have been met or exceeded, and general occupational efficiency improved after finishing the HOPE program. Mental well being scores confirmed a small enhance, whereas different high quality of life areas stayed comparatively secure. Virtual supply of the intervention allowed for constant attendance, suggesting that transient, individualized telehealth life-style interventions can meaningfully help wholesome growing old. For occupational remedy observe, the research highlights the worth of consumer centered, occupation primarily based life-style packages delivered by way of telehealth to boost older adults’ each day efficiency and engagement.

Impaired sleep, depressive signs, and ache as determinants of bodily exercise and train intervention adherence: an exploratory evaluation of a randomized medical trial

Sleep challenges, low temper, and ache are quite common in older adults and might make it more durable for them to maintain up with common bodily exercise. This research analyzes how life-style interventions helped older adults scale back their threat of dementia. The researchers examined whether or not sleep, temper, and ache firstly of the research affected how constantly individuals took half within the train program and whether or not those self same elements formed their bodily exercise ranges two years later.

Researchers discovered that individuals with quick (<6 hours) or lengthy (9+ hours) sleep length demonstrated decrease adherence to the train intervention, whereas depressive signs and ache didn’t meaningfully scale back train participation. After two years, the intervention group was discovered to be extra bodily energetic than the management group, and this profit held regular no matter whether or not individuals began with poor sleep, low temper, or ache. However, those that slept lower than 6 hours have been seen to be much less energetic general two years later, emphasizing that sleep patterns have a major impression long run on power ranges and well being. For occupational remedy observe, these findings spotlight the significance of addressing sleep as it’s vital for supporting older adults in constructing and sustaining wholesome bodily exercise routines.

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Upcoming Opportunities

Pediatric Endocrinology: Using the Resilient, Empowered, Active Living with Diabetes Framework in an Emerging Area of Occupational Therapy Practice

Date: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Time: 10–11am Pacific Time

Location: Zoom

Audience: This is an introductory stage exercise designed for OT practitioners, nevertheless, all ranges of expertise and disciplines are welcome.

Cost*: This webinar is free to attend; registration is required to affix.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is likely one of the most prevalent childhood power circumstances within the United States and requires constant engagement in advanced well being administration occupations to stop severe well being problems. The Resilient, Empowered, Active Living with Diabetes for Families (REAL-Fam) is an evidence-based intervention impressed by the Lifestyle Redesign® intervention framework that goals to enhance the households’ high quality of life, participation, and youngster’s well being outcomes. The REAL-Fam consists of seven modules which are versatile and tailor-made to the households’ particular wants over 12 weeks. This webinar will talk about the event of the REAL-Fam, describe the 7 telehealth modules, and study real-world utility of the intervention. The novel inclusion of occupational remedy as a part of the endocrinology care staff and telehealth supply might present a sensible, instant answer to increase past conventional medical consultative fashions and embrace individualized targets in domains comparable to well being administration, roles and routines, psychosocial well being and well-being, and participation in on a regular basis actions.

AOTA Mental Health Fellowship: Pathway for Lifestyle Redesign Certification

The USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice (OTFP) presents an AOTA-accredited fellowship program to offer Lifestyle Redesign coaching alternatives to licensed occupational remedy practitioners. The objective of the USC OTFP Fellowship program is to foster the event of experience in delivering the Lifestyle Redesign intervention to people dwelling with power bodily and psychological well being circumstances.

The fellowship expedites the method of assembly necessities for certification in Lifestyle Redesign, as fellows will full the didactic content material and medical hours wanted to use.

For extra info, please contact the Fellowship Coordinator, Lindsey Shomer, at lindsey.shomer@med.usc.edu or go to the fellowship web site.

Presenting at AOTA? Help us unfold the phrase!

If you’re presenting at AOTA (or any upcoming convention) on Lifestyle Redesign, life-style administration, power situation administration, or different associated subject, we wish to spotlight your presentation, in order that different members of this group can study from you!

Take 2 minutes to reply a couple of questions on your presentation and we are going to make sure you unfold the phrase in your behalf:

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Course Series Corner

On-Demand Course Series Track

Check out our on-demand Lifestyle Redesign persevering with schooling programs, and construct confidence in implementing life-style interventions in your medical observe!

The on-line, asynchronous (3) Core Courses and (5) Special Topics can now be accomplished at a tempo that works for YOUR schedule.

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Certification Section

Congrats to the latest LRCs!

As of December 2025, 6 occupational therapists grew to become Lifestyle Redesign Certified (LRC) practitioners! Congratulations to:

Earlier this 12 months, 2 occupational therapists grew to become Lifestyle Redesign® Certified (LRC) practitioners! Congratulations to:

Find an LRC supplier by visiting our Practitioner Database!