Occupational Therapy in Home Care

Did you know occupational therapy is an important part of many patients’ care plans? This Occupational Therapy Month, we encourage you to delve deeper into at-home occupational therapy and its crucial role in helping patients maintain safety, independence and fulfillment in their lives.

What does occupational therapy entail?

Occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) assess and treat patients to help them complete activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing, transferring, dressing, and meal preparation.

What do home health clinicians, like a registered nurse, consider before referring a patient to occupational therapy?

Home health clinicians evaluate a patient’s capacity to perform daily activities, including:

• Can the patient independently put on a shirt or other articles of clothing?
• Is the patient capable of opening medication bottles and, if necessary, accurately preparing doses?
• Can the patient safely and effectively cut their own food?
• Does the patient have the fine motor skills required to perform tasks such as unscrewing a toothpaste cap?

How are patients treated through occupational therapy?

Occupational therapists develop individual care plans for each patient based on their goals. Their treatments may include (but are not limited to):

• Using techniques and exercises to improve fine motor skills
• Recommending assistive devices, such as a shower chair to make bathing easier
• Teaching new ways to complete activities
• Assessing home safety to help prevent accidents like trips and falls
• Engaging the patient in puzzles and games to enhance memory
• Guiding activities that help improve visual awareness and perception, and suggesting things like large print labels on medication or increased hallway lighting to help with low vision
• Educating caregivers on how to assist their loved one
• Helping patients navigate the transition to a new “normal” or way of living their day-to-day life

Where does occupational therapy occur?

Occupational therapy services can be provided at home or in any setting where daily activities take place.

Who can benefit from occupational therapy?

Occupational therapy supports people of all ages in pursuing daily activities through therapeutic practices.

Elara Caring is proud to have a team of OTs and OTAs who make a difference in their patients’ lives each day. If you think your loved would benefit from at-home occupational therapy, contact us for more information.