What is the purpose of the maintain intervention approach?

The maintain intervention approach is focused on preserving individuals’ performance capabilities that they have already regained. This approach is crucial in occupational therapy, as it helps ensure that clients can continue to engage in activities and occupations that are meaningful to them without losing the skills or abilities they have worked hard to achieve.

People may experience regression in their abilities due to various reasons, such as changes in health status, environmental factors, or the progression of a condition. By implementing the maintain approach, occupational therapists can provide strategies, adaptations, or supports that allow clients to maintain their current level of performance. This is particularly important for clients with chronic conditions or those in need of long-term support, as maintaining skills can greatly enhance their quality of life and independence.

Other approaches, like creating opportunities for new skills or enhancing skills not yet developed, focus on growth and progression rather than preservation. Additionally, minimizing the need for intervention does not directly relate to maintaining skills but rather speaks to reducing the frequency or intensity of therapy, which may not align with the goal of sustaining performance capabilities.