Occupational Therapy Services
Occupational Therapy Services
It is extremely disheartening after a stroke, coma, debilitating illness, or traumatic accident to not be able to do some or any of the regular activities that were a normal part of daily living. Fortunately, those feelings of failure and helplessness do not have to continue thanks to occupational therapy services. Centric Healthcare can even help to provide those services to you in your home.
Home Health Occupational Therapy Services
Home health occupational therapy provides a higher level of specified services to a patient who is recovering from surgery, a debilitating illness or a traumatic accident. Outpatient occupational therapy tends to be limited because the unique conditions present in the home cannot always be precisely duplicated in a clinical setting. Let’s take a closer look at home health occupational therapy services which tend to include:
- Safely walking and moving around your home in a safe manner without falling.
- Assistance in increasing strength and agility.
- Teaching on how to conserve energy when negotiating certain movements.
- The evaluation of memory and cognitive abilities as they relate to occupational living.
- The completion of regular daily activities or ADLs.
- Helping to establish an individual home exercise program (HEP).
- Instruction in the use of assistive devices.
- Assistance in developing safe and beneficial leisure activities in the home.
Besides these in-home occupational therapy services associated with functioning inside the home, there are additional occupational therapy needs that are associated with instrumental activities of daily living IADLs, which are often carried out outside the home, such as:
- Going to appointments, meetings or social gatherings.
- Navigating roadways (if still able to drive), sidewalks and public transportation.
- Paying bills and managing banking.
- Shopping for food and other household needs.
Occupational therapy helps to strengthen outcomes that are associated with the management of patient medications as it applies to their daily routines. It is often utilized in the instruction and management of critical diseases like diabetes as well. In-home occupational therapy is also necessary for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the early stages of treatment in order to instruct the patient and/or caregiver concerning the use of oxygen equipment. Occupational therapy services are also utilized in stroke recovery or recovery from a traumatic accident in which cognitive or motor functioning has been limited.
Though outpatient occupational therapy performs many of the same functions, it is often critical that these functions are performed in the home to maximize results.
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What is Occupational Therapy?
Patients or individuals with mental health problems, disabilities, injuries, or impairments often require the services of an occupational therapist. An occupational therapist is a trained individual who assists people in everyday activities. They are most often made use of by persons suffering from disabilities that are either hereditary or brought on by an illness or traumatic accident.
The American Occupational Therapy Association’s practice framework identifies the following occupations:
- Activities of daily living (ADLs)
- Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)
- Rest, Sleep preparation, Sleep participation
- Education
- Employment interests and pursuits, Employment seeking and acquisition, Job performance, Retirement preparation and adjustment, Volunteer exploration, Volunteer participation
- Play exploration, Play participation
- Bathing, showering, Toileting and toilet hygiene, Dressing, Feeding, Functional mobility/transfers, Personal device care, Personal hygiene and grooming
- Care of others, Care of pets, Child rearing, Communication management, Driving and community mobility, Financial management, Health management and maintenance, Home establishment and managements, Meal preparation and cleanup, Medication management, Religious and spiritual activities and expression, Safety and emergency maintenance, Shopping
- Leisure exploration, Leisure participation
- Community, Family, Peer, friend
The objective of occupational therapy revolves around recovering or maximizing physical and cognitive skills in order to help people function at their highest level of normality given their mental and physical conditions. Occupational therapy can be conducted as outpatient occupational therapy or as in home occupational therapy.
Do I Need an Occupational Therapist?
Patients or individuals with mental health problems, disabilities, injuries, or impairments often require the services of an occupational therapist. An occupational therapist is a trained individual who assists people in everyday activities. They are most often made use of by persons suffering from disabilities that are either hereditary or brought on by an illness or traumatic accident.
The American Occupational Therapy Association’s practice framework identifies the following occupations:
- Do you hope to regain or maintain a higher level of independence that will allow you to function in a private residence rather than an institution?
- Have you recently undergone surgery which has limited some of your typical occupational functions and would like to recover those skills more rapidly?
- Are you doing less socializing with family and friends and/or no longer participating in your community?
- Are you struggling with mobility around your home and/or community and finding it more difficult to bathe, groom, dress, cook, self-feed or complete toilet hygiene?
As you consider these questions, also consider some of the most common individuals and needs that are associated with occupational therapy:
- Victims of accidents, strokes or debilitating illnesses.
- Persons who have lost or had their vision limited.
- Patients with cerebral palsy.
- Mental health patients who are striving for normalcy.
Other conditions to keep in mind as you consider whether or not you might benefit from occupational therapy include:
- Reduced strength or agility in your hands or feet.
- If you need some help learning how to maneuver using walkers or wheelchairs.
- If you have an ongoing medical condition like diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.
- Rehabilitation for walking after joint replacement.
- If you need help making your home safer and easier to navigate with assistive devices.
Any physical or mental condition which limits your ability to perform ADLs or IADLs independently can benefit from the assistance of an occupational therapist.
Benefits of In Home Occupational Therapy
When in-home occupational therapy is provided, there tends to be a quicker recovery time or more rapid advancement of improvement due to the fact that the individual is more relaxed in their own home, but there are several additional benefits of in home occupational therapy to be considered as well:
- The therapist can give greater targeted care for navigating the unique challenges of the person’s home.
- An occupational therapist in the home helps to instruct others living with you concerning the best ways to assist you or allow you to be independent as the need requires.
- Reduces the need for transporting you and sapping your energy, which makes the occupational therapy exercises less effective or limited.
- In home therapy avoids issues of self-consciousness which often limit the success of outpatient occupational therapy exercises.
- Reduces the risk of communicable diseases which might be present in a clinical environment.
Essentially, the goal of occupational therapy is to allow you to function independently in your own home and in your own community. In-home occupational therapy provides practical instruction and techniques for doing just that and is carried out in the environment where you will be executing your activities of daily living. If you are a prime candidate for in-home occupational therapy services be sure to find out all you can by calling and requesting more information about our occupational therapy services.
Choosing a home health care service provider can be overwhelming, so know that if you need any information or have questions and concerns about the services available to the residents of Rochester, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding cities of Minnesota, or the qualifications necessary for home care services, please feel free to contact us by phone or online. We will be happy to assist you in any way we can.
