April is National Occupational Therapy (OT) Month and a great time to highlight the Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy associates on your Home Health team. Recognize these vital professionals by celebrating their holistic approach to wellness that enable people to participate in the activities they want and need to do. These talented practitioners blend knowledge of the patient and their environment to help them live life to its fullest despite injury, illness, or disability. Their maxim is, not “What’s the matter with you?” but, “What matters to you?”
Common OT implements include, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.
Many Occupational therapists and occupational assistants specialize in geriatric care. They focus on re-teaching seniors the basic skills needed for daily activities like dressing, grooming, and cooking. The OT process is to improve physical and mental abilities by therapeutically preforming everyday tasks.
Besides overcoming daily challenges, Occupational therapists generally recommend household modifications that can make their patients’ environment more accommodating. They simplify functionality within the home and train the family on how to better provide care while improving safety for everyone.
Standard OT Services:
- Perform a preliminary evaluation with the care group to establish the patient’s goals.
- Outline a strategy to accomplish patient goals and improve daily activity performance.
- Teach simple techniques to make daily tasks easier.
- Coach physical wellness through low impact exercise.
- Provide helpful devices like bathtub benches, bed rails, and any other mechanisms that may help prevent falls.
- Conduct evaluations to track patient progress.
Celebrate OT Month in your company:
- Throw an OT Party and invite past patients to share their success stories and take lots of photos to share.
- Use social media to highlight your Occupational Therapists and describe how essential OT is to Home Health care.
- Host a Lunch & Learn for your referral sources to point out all of the services you offer your patients and seek feedback to improve your practice.
- Put together an OT get together after work to facilitate team building and discuss the patients that have touched your heart.
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