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