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Written by: Danielle Dadig, Marketing Strategist, and Megan Pack, Occupational Therapy Assistant
Happy National Occupational Therapy (OT) Month. This month is focused on learning more about occupational therapy and the amazing therapists who work at Advanced Home Health! Did you know that occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities? Continue reading to learn more about occupational therapy!
What is occupational therapy?
An occupational therapist helps a patient get back to their "occupation" or day-to-day life. They enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them create a healthy lifestyle and live better with an injury, illness, or disability. Their approach is one of a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment and/or task to fit the person so they can participate more fully in day-to-day life. The goal of an occupational therapist is to focus on the patient's long-term health and well-being.
How does an occupational therapist help?
Occupational therapists are focused on “activities of daily living” for their patients. They help the patients make adjustments or relearn the basic building blocks of daily life which can become difficult after an injury, disability, or illness.
What is an example of an OT treatment plan?
An occupational therapist will develop a treatment plan based on the individual’s assessment and personal goals. Treatment plans will be adapted to maximize the patient’s independence in the following, ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) which include: bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting. The treatment plan also focuses on IADLs (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living) which include: cooking, cleaning, driving, shopping, bills, laundry, etc. The treatment plan can include a wide range of exercises that can help/assist with compensating for vision and memory loss, regaining muscle strength and dexterity, learning and using adaptive equipment, and education for the patient and the family.
An OT Patient Success Story
Our OTA, Megan P., worked with her patient, Jack, to help him get his mobility and strength back after his surgery.
She worked with Jack before and had initially made huge strides when they worked together. Then, a fall happened and it really set him back in his progress. Jack was in the hospital, had surgery, and eventually went to a nursing home. Once he returned home he had lost all the muscle and strength that he had before the surgery.
At this point, Jack was pretty much bed-bound, however, once Megan started working with him again that all changed! Thanks to Megan, and Jack’s hard work, dedication, and positive attitude he is back to baseline and continues to thrive
each day!
Resources:
https://www.aota.org/Conference-Events/OTMonth/what-is-OT.aspx
About Advanced Home Health
Advanced Home Health is a local, family-owned, home health and home care provider located in Western PA, servicing Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, and Washington Counties.
To learn more visit, www.advancedhomehealth.com or call 412-344-4100.