Does My Loved One Need Occupational Therapy?

Does your loved one struggle with pain, an injury, illness or disability that makes it hard for them to complete daily living activities? Maybe they struggle to complete household chores, move up and down the stairs, or get in and out of the car. If you’ve noticed a change like these, your loved one might benefit from occupational therapy.

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is designed to help people with health challenges return to daily living after their surgery or illness. An occupational therapist will learn all they can about your loved one’s daily routine, establish recovery goals with them and create a personalized therapy plan that involves different exercise equipment and technologies.

Occupational therapy for seniors can help your loved one get back to completing everyday tasks without pain or struggle, such as maintaining personal hygiene, dressing, eating, functional mobility, home maintenance, meal preparation and more.

3 Benefits of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy has the potential to help your loved one become the strongest, healthiest version of themselves possible. There are many benefits of occupational therapy that can improve the quality of your loved one’s life, including:

1. 1. Increased Independence. One of the key objectives of occupational therapy is to help your loved one reach a point where they can comfortably take care of themselves again. Your loved one’s occupational therapist will guide them through exercises that are meant to improve their self-care skills, like eating, dressing and bathing. As your loved one successfully completes these tasks on their own, they’ll start to regain their sense of independence.
2. 2. Improved Strength and Endurance. It takes muscle strength and mobility to move around the house, cook meals, and travel to and from appointments. Your loved one’s occupational therapy sessions will include exercises and activities meant to increase their strength and mobility. These physical improvements can help your loved one move with less pain and live more independently again.
3. 3. Cognitive Improvement. Occupational therapy can also help treat cognitive impairments caused by an illness. For example, perhaps your loved one struggles to pay their bills on time or has trouble problem solving. Their occupational therapist will give them exercises and activities that can improve their cognitive skills like organization, problem solving and reasoning.

What Your Loved One Will Experience During Occupational Therapy

So, what can your loved one expect when they begin occupation therapy? The answer is a variety of activities personalized to their specific physical and cognitive needs.

The Occupational Therapy Process

• First, an occupational therapist will review your loved one’s medical history, ask them a series of questions and observe them performing different tasks.
• After evaluating your loved one’s condition, the occupational therapist will develop a treatment plan that addresses your loved one’s needs and helps them meet their recovery goals.
• The occupational therapist will also evaluate your loved one’s home and identify any potential improvements that need to be made based on your loved one’s condition. For example, if your loved one is struggling with memory, a therapist might recommend labeling kitchen cabinets and other items around the house.
• The occupational therapist will meet with you and your family to educate you on best practices to accommodate and care for your loved one. It’s common for a therapist to recommend specific equipment, such as a walker to help improve the safety and quality of your loved one’s life. The occupational therapist will then assess and record your loved one’s activities and recovery as their sessions progress.

Discover Occupational Therapy at Fellowship Senior Living

Fellowship Senior Living is proud to provide residents in communities surrounding Basking Ridge, NJ, professional at-home rehabilitation services. These home care services include physical, occupational and speech therapies. All you have to do is simply make an appointment and one of our licensed therapists will visit your loved one at home for their in-home rehab sessions. This option is a great way to help your loved one stay safe and healthy, eliminating the need to leave their home and physically come into the office.

Your loved one’s therapy may be short-term if they’re recovering from an injury or surgery, or long-term to help improve their overall level of wellness. Either way, Fellowship Senior Living is here to help. Contact us today at 908-580-3880 to learn more about our Therapy at Home Services.