Abstract
To successfully evaluate the community reintegration of the older adult patient-client, the physical therapist must be able to methodically assess their social system and physical environment. However, models to guide the physical therapist in this endeavor have not been well-established. The purpose of this article is to present the Social Systems Theory as one method to analyze the social and physical interactions in a retirement community. The article briefly explains housing issues and options available to the older adult in the United States. Next, the main concepts of the theory are defined and applied to a fictitious retirement community as an example of how physical therapists can evaluate and make recommendations to improve community reintegration of their older adult patient-clients.
COMMUNITIES are foundational structures of the social system in the United States (US). Proper functioning of communities enhances the education, socialization, and health of their residents. It is imperative for public officials, community leaders organizers, and health professionals to be able to understand and critically evaluate communities, and plan interventions to assist the residents with whom they live and work.
According to the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, 1 a responsibility of the physical therapist (PT) is to identify the "social interactions, social activities, and support systems" 1(p536) of the patient or client. In addition, another role of the PT is to provide consultative services to community organizations and agencies. 1 However, models or methods to perform these activities have not been well established in the physical therapy literature.
Consequently, the purpose of this article is to present the Social Systems Theory (SST) developed by Chess and Norlin, 2 applied to a fictitious retirement community (RC). The components of the SST will be defined and will be utilized to analyze the RC. In addition, an introductory discussion of housing issues affecting the older adult and the structure, advantages, and disadvantages of retirement communities will be discussed.