Month: <span>May 2020</span>

Surgery preparation
blog By Wedell Home Therapy 0 Comments

How To Prepare For Surgery And Improve Recovery

Are you wondering how to prepare for surgery and improve your recovery? If you are considering surgery, this is a great blog to read. It’s not good enough to hope for the best prior to considering a surgery or having one scheduled already.

Of course, we all want the best possible outcome. Maybe you are hoping for the best during the surgical event. It’s just not enough, if you want to have a better overall recovery. If you are seeking out a program to inform, empower, and support you through this process Wedell Home Therapy has the solution.

Pre-surgical health

Wedell Home Therapy offers pre-surgical conditioning or prehabilitation. Occupational therapists provide direction and help clients reach the best possible outcomes prior to surgery.  As a result, recovery after surgery is most often easier and faster for the patient.

Considerations for Pre-surgical Conditioning 

First, education with instruction and case management with the MD are provided as an empowering and motivational approach. Second, general conditioning training, lifestyle modifications, immune support, and dietary modifications are recommended based on the individual.

Third, stress reduction, improved rest schedules, spiritual enhancement, family/care giver education and support, and medical equipment planning for the recovery stage are all part of a total healthcare approach.

Preparing for Surgery – Think Like An Athlete

Prehabilitation

Many people do not think about prehabilitation before surgery but athletes do. For example, many athletes seek pre-surgical conditioning for sports injuries so they can perform at the same level or even better after surgery. Their daily conditioning and level of health prior to the surgery place them in an advantage to shorten hospitalizations. Low infection occurrences are often noted with athletes. Athletes shorten recovery and rehab program times when participating in pre-surgical conditioning. 

Despite modern medical advancements and improved surgical out comes preparing for surgical intervention requires information. Sound decisions are made best with guidance and support. By seeking out a pre-surgical evaluation your concerns are addressed through experienced and insightful healers. Occupational Therapists and healers of the rehabilitation industry are experienced in supporting recovery, healing, and rehabilitation. Goals are set with clients to maximize their individual needs. Rehabilitation programs at home support optimal biological, physiological and functional outcomes.

Better Surgical Outcomes with Prehabilitation

One can optimize their surgical outcomes by applying the practices noted above. However, pre-surgical conditioning can be as simple as daily walks with incremental advancements in duration and distances supporting:

  1. Weight Loss
  2. Strengthening Cardio
  3. Strengthening Pulmonary Function
  4. Vascular Dilation To Improve Blood Flow
weight training

A more aggressive approach can include weight resistance training for selected muscle groups in addition to the basic exercises. Lifestyle modification coaching can support weight loss, sufficient rest, dietary modifications, immune support, stress reduction and phycological support.

Immune support can focus on removing allergens. In addition, supplements and dietary changes to support or enhance your immune system can help normalize your lab values. Dietary changes can point the obvious don’ts and reinforce more positive selection. Based on your health and blood labs, there may be must haves for your particular concern such as cholesterol and triglyceride reduction. Dietary modifications and immune support can reduce infection rates and speed up the healing process. These important changes can help you avoid more serious or secondary infections.

Stress reduction directly effects ones homeostasis. Reducing stress allows the body to seek its optimal state. Less stress can mean deeper sleep, normalization of hormones and a more balance mind. Spiritual enhancement is encouraged to fulfill ones sense of being and calm the inner sole. Each component of the process supports the final goal of optimizing the surgical outcomes.  The end goal is from better survival and low infection rates to quicker hospital discharges and faster return to independent function in your daily tasks.

Contact the Occupational Therapists at Wedell Home Therapy for more information.

Written by Mark Wedell, BS OTR/L

References:

-International Anesthesiol Clinical 2017 fall 55(1;12-20) preparing the patient for enhanced recovery after surgery, Christopher Jankowski, MD

-The effectiveness of prehabilitation or preoperative exercise for surgical patients: a systematic review. JBI Database System Rev Implement Rep. 2015 Jan;13(1):146-87. doi: 10.11124/jbisrir-2015-1885. Cabilan CJ1, Hines S, Munday J.

-A Guide to Implementing Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols: Creating, Scaling, and Managing a Perioperative Consult Service.

Cummings JJ1, Ehrenfeld JM, McEvoy MD.Int Anesthesiol Clin. 2017 Fall;55(4):101-115. doi: 10.1097/AIA.0000000000000163.

blog By Wedell Home Therapy 1 Comment

Home Occupational Therapy Improves Quality of Life

Each year millions of people of all ages are discharged home from hospitals or rehabilitation facilities. The journey of gaining back their independence begins once they are home. 

People may have experienced a musculoskeletal, cardiac, neurological or medically complex injury.  They may ask themselves several questions. For example, How am I going to get myself into my bathtub when one of my arms is paralyzed? How am I going to cook for myself when I can only stand for less than a minute? Home occupational therapy services can address many answers to these questions and more. 

Common questions may also include, How am I going to get myself dressed after my hip fracture? These are common questions patients ask themselves upon home arrival. If these questions are not addressed, a person can experience diminished performance in areas of self-care, activities of daily living and overall enjoyment in life. Home occupational therapy services provide solutions to worrisome questions asked by patients. 

Buttoning Shirt

Occupational Therapists (OT’s) can assist you in achieving the ability to perform your activities of daily living through strengthening, balance activities, neuromuscular re-education and self-care training, just to name a few. Occupational therapists who provide home care like Wedell Home Therapy can address the environment you live in for potential modifications. An OT can improve overall mobility and everyday tasks by breaking things down easily through practice. This may reduce your fall risk and reduce your chances of going back to the hospital. 

Improves Quality of Life with Home Occupational Therapy Services

Installing grab bars and re-configuring furniture are a few simple recommendations that can be made. Occupational Therapy helps people who suffer from chronic disorders manage in the long term. Chronic disorders such as diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, Chronic obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD) are common among the adult and elderly population. Occupational Therapy is key to the management of diseases to prevent further deterioration, and potential permanent damage. In addition, Occupational Therapists improve the overall quality of life for individuals with disease or injuries. 

Better Health

Activities of Daily Living Made Easy By Home Occupational Therapists

Everyday activities and simple tasks can be improved with the help of Occupational Therapists. Many family members think about hiring home rehabilitation services for major medical problems. However, Occupation Therapy includes managing your hygiene, inspecting your skin on a daily basis, as well as simply planning a healthier meal. 

Wedell Home Therapy looks at the whole person in regards to their internal physical factors as well as the external factors that affect your ability to function more independently. 

An Occupational Therapist can address the physical dysfunctions of a person but they can also assist with people who exhibit memory, visual or perceptual deficits. If a person suffers from a stroke or neurological impairment, it may hinder their ability to perform not only their physical abilities but mental, hearing and visual acuity. Sometimes deficiencies can’t be seen easily from the outside. 

Occupational Therapists assess and train a patient in cooking a meal, cleaning a bathroom or simply remembering to take a medication. Such tasks may be difficult for certain people to complete after a disabling impairment. 

A good Occupational Therapy service focuses on a patient from either a restorative or compensatory approach. Decisions are based on the severity of a person’s impairments. The goal is to come up with the best and safest solution for long term success. Many patients discharged home require home health aides and home Occupation Therapy services like Wedell Home Therapy. 

Wedell Home Therapy trains family members, caregivers and friends to assist patients in achieving appropriate and safe functional mobility and activity performance in the household. This can be anywhere from providing safer and consistent pressure relief techniques, safer transfer techniques, hygiene management and home exercise programs. A person is more likely to recover with assistance and surrounded by loved ones in their home setting. 

If you want to learn more about how a home Occupational Therapy company examines the whole person with regard to what is important to them and their support system contact Mark and Joe at Wedell Home Therapy. 

Home Occupational Therapist

Written by Joseph Chirco, MS, OTR/L, CSRS