Tronto (1993) outlined four principles that are part of the ethic of care of service professions: (1) recognizing and being attentive to others, (2) taking responsibility for action, (3) performing caring work competently, and (4) being responsive to care receivers’ position or considering care from their perspective. The increasing incidence and prevalence of dementia require occupational therapy practitioners to better understand the needs of people who have dementia and to find innovative, evidence-based ways to enable occupation through an efficient and cost-effective therapeutic process, all the while considering the desires, preferences, and aspirations of people with dementia and their caregivers. This issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy includes the summaries of several systematic reviews that were part of an evidence-based practice project initiated by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in 2006. The findings of these reviews strengthen occupational therapy’s ethic of care.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an...
