Helping people to live life their way.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy enables people to achieve as much as they can for themselves and get the most out of life. Occupational Therapists and support workers help people who have physical, mental or social problems engage as independently as possible in the activities (occupations) which enhance their health and wellbeing. These problems may occur as a result of accident, illness or ageing. This includes daily activities that many take for granted, such as making a cup of tea, brushing your teeth and dealing with your shopping and housework. Occupational Therapy also considers the places and people around you and how you interact with them. (Adapted from the College of Occupational Therapy)

 

What will the Occupational Therapist do?

As each individual is different, so the intervention they require differs. However, the basis of the Occupational Therapy process is shown below.

Initial Information gathering – this includes:

• Checking your medical notes
• Talking with you
• Talking with your family, or any other person important to you, if you are happy with this.

To find out how you normally manage/what you normally do, what your home is like and what is important to you.

Information gathering about how you are able to do things now – these are called Functional Assessments and may include:

• Washing and Dressing Assessment
• Kitchen Assessment
• Memory/Cognitive Assessment, and
• How you move about within your environment

If your ability to carry out daily tasks has greatly changed the Occupational Therapist may suggest a home visit to assess how this has affected how you cope within your own home

From the outcome of these assessments the Occupational Therapist will make a plan with you which may include:

• Using daily activities to help you become stronger and more confident
• Teaching you different ways of doing things to overcome problems
• Providing you with equipment to compensate for problems
• Working with other professionals to help arrange support services for you
• Giving you information about community and voluntary services.

The Occupational Therapy Department provides occupational therapy services to all adult wards across the Trust as required and although the department’s core working hours are identified as 8:30am to 16:30pm Monday to Friday, some wards/clinics are covered outside these hours.

For outpatients the service supports the following specialties

• Cardiology
• Neurology/ Stroke
• Hand Therapy/Burns and Plastics
• Rheumatology
• Pain management
• Respiratory
• Day Assessment/Treatment for older people

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