April is Occupational Therapy Awareness Month

What is Occupational Therapy (OT)?

In every stage of life, occupational therapy helps people develop, recover, or maintain the skills they need to do meaningful and necessary daily activities. In particular, occupational therapists can help older adults overcome daily challenges caused by diminished ranges of motion and mobility.

What does an Occupational Therapist (OT) do?

An Occupational Therapist strives to promote emotional well-being, independence, and an enhanced quality of life. It could be said OT teaches life skills. OT can help a person with activities of daily living (ADLs), which include dressing, bathing, food preparation, and return to work or school following injury or illness. Usually the attending physician prescribes a course of OT. The occupational therapist assesses the patient’s general health, past medical history, and functional abilities to determine areas of weakness or lost function. Here at Homestead, the therapist will typically visit the resident’s home to evaluate the environment. The therapist can then address those weaknesses to help the resident be more productive in all areas of their life. OT may include therapeutic activities, exercise, simulated work tasks, and special devices designed to help the patient such as a walking aid (eg, walker, cane).

Home Modifications/Adaptations:  How Occupational Therapy Can Help

Home modifications are changes made to adapt living spaces to increase usage, safety, security, and independence.  Occupational Therapy can help provide residents with the right tools to optimize their home environment/surroundings in order to promote full and safe completion of daily activities of living.  Home modifications or adaptations can help individuals to thrive where they are. Home modifications/adaptations not only have physical benefits, but can assist with other health conditions such as: visual impairments, sensory deficits and cognitive disorders.

Occupational Therapists (OT’s) are skilled at evaluating how an individual performs activities of daily living in their current living environment.  They evaluate balance, endurance, coordination, strength, attention, cognitive ability, safety awareness, problem solving, vision and other functions of performing daily tasks.  OT’s are able to identify barriers to performance such as safety concerns (loose rugs, heavy doors, etc…).   OT’s can then suggest/recommend modifications to facilitate independence and performance such as installing grab bars, bed enabler bars, or handrails to assist someone who has difficulty with balance and mobility.

In conclusion, Occupational Therapists provide a valuable patient (resident)-focused perspective to the team and assist residents/families/caregivers during times of declining independence or when planning for future needs in the home modification process.

Call Angie Sherwood, Director of Rehabilitation at Homestead Village at 717-509-8270 for additional information or to schedule a consultation.