Community Profiling & Needs Assessmen
This is the process of systematically gathering information about a community’s demographics, resources, and needs.
What is community profiling?
This type of assessment identifies local needs, prioritizes them, and targets resources to address critical problems.
What is a needs assessment?
The first step in creating a community partnership is to know who will be part of it.
What is identifying members?
True or False: OTs only focus on Joe’s strengths and ignore his problems.
False
Occupational therapists only focus on individual therapy and not community programs.
False
This type of information includes age, gender, ethnicity, education, and employment rates when profiling a community.
What is demographic information?
This framework helps identify what a community already has, what it lacks, and potential challenges or opportunities.
What is a SWOT analysis?
These organizations, like food banks or the YMCA, can collaborate with OTs to run community programs.
What are local nonprofits?
OTs notice Joe struggles to access recreational activities and healthy meals. They gather data on his challenges to figure out what support he needs most. What process are they using?
Needs assessment.
What does OT connect with community health to support meaningful participation?
Occupational needs
This type of barrier includes unsafe streets, inaccessible buildings, and limited public spaces.
What are environmental barriers?
This research approach involves the community as partners at all stages, from assessment to intervention.
What is Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)?
Before assigning roles, it’s important to know what each member does best—this is called assessing their…
What are strengths?
Joe, who’s a bit unstable and sometimes trips while volunteering at the community garden, still helps out even though no one knew he did. This type of activity is an example of…
What are hidden occupations?
What does community profiling help identify between existing resources and actual needs?
Gaps
An example of a hidden occupation where people grow food, socialize, and learn new skills in a community setting.
What is volunteering at a community garden?
This assessment focuses on identifying and mobilizing existing community resources and capacities to achieve a shared vision.
What is a community assessment?
This type of evaluation uses numbers like attendance or survey scores to measure program success.
What is quantitative evaluation?
Joe dove for a ball during a community dodgeball game, injured his ankle, and now can’t fully participate. An OT might identify what type of barrier in the community?
What are environmental barriers?
True or False – OTs integrate research, clinical judgment, and experience for effective community practice.
True
Name 4 asessment methods used to gather data for community profiling and briefly explain how each contributes to understanding occupational participation.
1. surveys 2. focus groups 3. interviews 4. community forums
Surveys, checklists, and interviews that show how people participate in community activities are called this.
What are Occupational Profile Tools?
Including participant interviews, focus groups, and personal stories in your evaluation is known as…
What is qualitative evaluation?
After all of life’s crazy incidents, obstacles, and barriers, can Joe ever take a break or recover from his miserable situation?
Yes – if he reaches out to an OT, all of his problems can be addressed and improved.
How do OTs ensure interventions are both relevant and meaningful for a community?
interventions occupation-centered and client-driven