Manon Guay

Personal care such as washing is an essential living activity. Among the elderly, the independent ability to wash and bathe can make the difference between home living and residential care. When the need for assisted washing persists, the risk of being institutionalized increases. Of all the activities of daily living, personal care and hygiene is the leading cause of age-related loss of independence. Assisted bathing requires the most hours of formal and informal home care. The bathroom also contains the most risk factors for falls and injuries - both for seniors and for their caregivers. Bathroom layout is the primary reason for consulting in community occupational therapy. Given that most specialized resources and tools available are insufficient to meet the growing demand, many Quebecers wait months, if not years, for technical aid recommendations that are adapted to their needs. Washing independently - when and how often one chooses - is fundamental to human health and dignity.

Professor Manon Guay's research program aims to:

1. Understand the clinical and sociodemographic characteristics associated with difficulties faced by seniors, including the very elderly (90 years and older) in maintaining personal hygiene;
2. Develop new strategies to broaden the range of tools and interventions available to improve the hygiene of the elderly and to keep them independent at home, regardless of their diagnosis, as well as to support their caregivers, be they relatives or workers.

The research programming of Prof. Guay, an occupational therapist by training, is closely tied to her clinical practice in home support with the elderly. She is involved in knowledge development and knowledge transfer to enable clinicians and policy makers to make enlightened decisions concerning the delivery of rehabilitation services with the human resources available. Prof. Guay has led research on Algo, a decision support tool intended for the members of the interdisciplinary team who are not occupational therapists, to help them select technical aids for bathing for seniors living at home.

Research Topics

Personal care and hygiene, Activities of daily living, Home adaptation, Technical aids, Home support, Knowledge transfer, Organization of services, Occupational therapy support staff