OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy focuses on restoring the things the patient wants and needs to perform in their daily lives or what is commonly referred to as activities of daily living (ADL’s). The Occupational Therapist will assess how a patient performs an activity or task then develop a plan to improve the way that person completes the task to make it achievable and/or less painful.
Occupational therapy will take into consideration a patient’s physical and mental abilities as well as the social and emotional support available. Occupational Thearpy considers any materials or devices already used to participate in activities during treatment sessions.
These considerations along with their experience, the Occupational Therapist may develop a plan that involves many different interventions and strategies such as;
• Promoting abilities to manage self-care tasks as independently as possible either through adaptive techniques and/or assistive devices for bathing, grooming, toileting and eating
• Address fall prevention strategies and behavioral issues associated with dementia such as agitation and aggression
• A holistic approach addressing the patient’s needs (physical, cognitive, behavioral) to maintain cognitive function
• Support nursing staff to promote functional independence, use adaptive equipment, proper positioning and strategies of engagement to reduce responsive behaviors
In most cases, the Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist work in cooperation to reinforce and enhance the treatments to give the patient the best opportunity for progression.
The Occupational Therapist also works with speech therapy in regards to eating, self-feeding, and swallowing to make recommendations to increase independence in feeding. OT and ST also increase swallowing safety through proper mealtime positioning, adaptive feeding equipment, cueing or set-up by staff.