Performing everyday tasks like bathing and dressing can be challenging for seniors. Occupational therapy helps them regain the skills to complete these activities independently.
Whether it’s due to injury, illness, or simply the natural effects of aging, tasks that once seemed simple can become overwhelming for many seniors. Enhancing senior independence through Occupational Therapy is an essential step in providing care.
Identifying Needs
For older adults, identifying their independence needs is an important step. Occupational therapy services are often available in assisted living communities and nursing homes but can also be arranged for home care and senior community resources. Caregivers should consider their loved one’s ability to perform basic tasks, such as eating, bathing, dressing, and grooming, as well as their level of mobility and any health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, incontinence, or dementia.
It’s also vital to know if your loved one has fallen in the past or is at risk of losing. Each year, millions of people end up in emergency rooms due to falls. Incorporating an occupational therapy program to improve coordination and balance can prevent fall injuries. It can also help your loved one retain the ability to move around their home and engage in regular activities that are important to them. This includes social activities, hobbies, and leisure pursuits.
Creating a Plan
In many cases, an OT can find equipment and techniques (you may also hear them called assistive devices) to assist seniors and make their everyday tasks easier. For example, suppose a senior’s grip has weakened after an injury, or they have trouble using specific tools for daily living. In that case, their therapist can point them toward products like lever-style door handles, contrast-colored outlets, or larger pens that are easier to grasp.
The occupational therapy for seniors also helps them find ways to enjoy activities that are important to them, including socializing with friends, playing golf, or taking part in a beloved hobby. This can be an essential boost for self-esteem and a sense of independence.
In addition, OTs are skilled in fall prevention for seniors and can determine if home modifications are necessary for a loved one’s safety. For example, a therapist might recommend that items be removed from the floor or that the home’s lighting and furniture be rearranged to reduce the risk of falling.
Implementing the Plan
When helping seniors improve their independence, a senior occupational therapist can offer many different methods and strategies. This can include teaching new skills, improving physical strength, and working with a mental health professional to address emotional issues.
Often, the goal of occupational therapy is to help a person overcome barriers that prevent them from participating in activities that are important to them, like socializing with friends or engaging in hobbies. In some cases, this involves introducing a person to assistive equipment, like a prosthetic limb or wheelchair, that can make it easier for them to participate in the activities they enjoy.
Having realistic expectations from managers and transparent information about the BEL intervention helped to facilitate the recruitment of participants, and group leaders effectively kept people engaged in sessions. Nevertheless, hindrances did arise, such as the length of sessions being challenged by profit-oriented demands and other circumstances that clashed with essential features of the intervention.
Monitoring the Plan
A program’s monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plan must be continually adapted to consider new information and knowledge. It should include a variety of indicators that allow you to report on the impacts of your plan.
It is essential to consider the relative severity of possible concerns and practical constraints when deciding which indicators to monitor actively and how frequently to check them. This will impact the costs and time to complete monitoring activities.
It is also important to consider who should be responsible for reviewing monitoring data and reporting any concerns that might arise. It may be helpful to set up flags within your monitoring table and design procedures to trigger a designated reviewer when data fall below pre-set reporting thresholds. This will help to avoid missed opportunities to promote COTiD. It is also essential to consider how to communicate with stakeholders about monitoring results, both positive and negative.