The old lady from the supermarket ‐ categorization of occupation according to performance areas: Is it relevant for the elderly?

Within the profession of occupational therapy there has been a long-standing tendency to classify a person’s occupations according to set and concrete categories. Such perception is typical of the modern era. This article addresses the validity of categorizing occupation according to performance areas, in the world of the elderly. The story of an elderly lady’s visit to the supermarket provides the backdrop for a theoretical discussion regarding the multiple levels of function and meaning of occupation, particularly for the elderly. The story is examined in relation to concepts of classification according to performance areas. On this basis, the relevance and therefore the validity of such classification in the world of elders’ occupations is questioned. In their conclusion, the authors suggest that readers approach the issue of occupations and the elderly in the spirit of postmodernism, a framework more suitable.