Occupational Therapy - 2015
23 As a result of water-related or waterborne ill- ness from contamination, occupational disruption, or the short-term interruption of individually significant or vital important occupations (Stadnyk et al., 2010), may occur. For instance, children may be unable to at- tend school because of illnesses from contaminated or untreated water. As more developing countries receive access to clean water or water treatment education and materials, more individuals are obligated to engage in new occupations such as household water treatment methods. According to Blakeney and Marshall (2009), the water contamination of Letcher County, Kentucky forced residents to add new occupations to do with wa- ter purification to their routines and to experience oc- cupational disruption, imbalance, and injustice because of the lack of access to clean water. Roles and routines that would be typically ex- perienced by children based on their chronological age may look very different in regions without or with lim- ited access to clean drinking water sources. The physi- ological/emotional effects on children in such condi- tions range from awareness of their mortality, stress, increased responsibility, accelerated maturation, to emotional turmoil. More mature responsibilities and less engaging occupations may fall on the shoulders of children and adolescences in order to care for family members, provide for their family, and foster the sur- vival of their family. Occupational imbalance results when areas of occupations are not evenly experienced (Stadnyk et al., 2010), as the case when concerned with filling basic needs such as acquiring clean water. More- over, occupations considered to be leisure, play, and/ or engaging are put on hold to prioritize time for water acquisition, water treatment practices, care for familial waterborne illnesses, as well as other basic occupations. Limitation in such occupations may lead to poor health, negative impact on one’s QOL (Zuzanek, 2010), and re- striction of play exploration, which is vital for child de- velopment. Additionally, occupational marginalization, which is the restriction of a person’s or party’s occupa- tional choices (Stadnyk et al., 2010), may occur when water procurement or treatment responsibilities are not shared equally across gender. For instance, in develop- ing countries, females are “more likely to be responsible for collecting water for their family, making it difficult for them to attend school during school hours” (CDC, 2013a, Access to WASH, para. 5). This distinctly delin- eated occupational responsibility assigned to females, is a provisional chore that does not discriminate against developmental age, perpetuated by many cultures. Social isolation from limited social engagement is of occupational concern for populations without ac- cess to clean water or do not collectively participate in safe water storage practices. Children and their families may limit their social engagement with others due to fear of catching waterborne diseases or illnesses. Such limited interaction could be very developmentally dam- aging for children as they may lack the social skills, ex- perience little scaffolding, crave companionship, and lack social support needed for optimal survival and well-being. Untreated or contaminated water leading to disease outbreaks, as well as the depletion of finan- cial resources to treat such illnesses, may lead to dis- placement or the reluctant relocation from one’s natural dwelling (Hamilton, 2010). Displacement from one’s place of residence may lead to identity confusion or cri- sis (Whiteford, 2010) when contextual confines cause a change in occupational meaning. A Call for Action The aforementioned occupational outcomes, name- ly occupational disruption, imbalance, deprivation, marginalization, alienation, as well as social isolation, displacement, change in occupational meaning, and identity confusion or crisis, resulting from the lack or limited access to clean water, are evidence of a great oc- cupational injustice. In order to enforce occupational justice, that is, the occupational freedom and affordanc- es to engage in meaningful occupations, to such popu- lations, a fueling passion of change must be experienced by a collaborative force. This call for action requires the raising of awareness and advocacy by supporting pieces of legislation, direct aid, partnering with local, national, and worldwide nonprofit and humanitarian aid organi- zations. Creative awareness methods dispensed through social media have been very fruitful in financial en- dowment, as seen by the water bucket challenge for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. A similar effort has been recently employed for clean water with the dumping of dirty water on oneself in order to raise awareness of how many people still do not have access to clean water. Such awareness opportunities utilizing social media have the capacity to inform and ignite bil- lions globally. Through research and advocacy, an awareness of the occupational practices of these vulnerable popu- OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry for Students, Faculty & Other Practitioners Advocating for Health through Occupational Studies November 2015, Volume 1, Number 1
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