What is Occupational Therapy At Home & Its Need For Elderly With Dementia?
Many individuals are aware of what physical therapy comprises but are unsure of what occupational therapy for the elderly entails. Occupational therapy for the elderly at home is a process that involves assisting people in developing, maintaining, or recovering the skills they need to engage in meaningful and essential daily activities (aka occupations).
The sort of occupational therapy for the elderly that a person receives depends on their specific needs. An elderly individual with Parkinson’s disease, for example, will be treated differently from a young child with scoliosis. Occupational therapists also educate and collaborate with the patient’s support team (parents, caregivers, teachers, and others) to ensure that everyone understands their role in the patient’s treatment plan.
Occupational Therapy for Elderly at Home
Suppose your loved one is seeing an occupational therapist outside of the house. In that case, the occupational therapist who gives occupational therapy for the elderly at home should ensure your loved one understands how to apply the exercises they’ve learned. Through occupational therapy for the elderly at home, a good therapist will educate their patient and assist them in making the transition to independence as painless as possible.
This shift may entail continuing occupational therapy for the elderly on a less intensive (but critical) basis. An occupational therapist may visit the patient at home a few times a week until the maximum function is achieved. Alternatively, the patient may choose to receive therapy for the same purpose outside of the house, usually at a qualified outpatient center.
Occupational Therapy Can Assist Seniors in Retaining Their Independence
Occupational therapy for the elderly at home is frequently helpful in completing “Activities of Daily Living,” or ADLs. Dressing, bathing, toileting, grooming, walking, and transferring are necessary duties. The patient is in danger of being placed in a permanent facility if they cannot do these chores independently.
Occupational therapy for the elderly at home can promote autonomy in various ways, in addition to maintaining a patient’s capacity to do ADLs. Dementia is one illness where this therapy can be beneficial. Dementia can affect memory and communication, in addition to self-care concerns. Patients and their relatives can learn how to simplify activities (such as communication) to match the patient’s present functional level through occupational therapy for the elderly.
Home safety consults are another area where persons with occupational therapy for elderly credentials and knowledge can help. A specialist may advise you and your loved one on making their home safer and more straightforward to navigate during the consultation and suggest adaptive improvements (such as grab bars in the shower).
Occupational Therapy for elderly Aids in the Restoration of Essential Daily Functions
Occupational therapy for the elderly assists them in doing certain functional activities critical to their daily lives. It can include anything that brings the person joy or purpose in life while still allowing them to function to their full potential, such as gardening, golfing, climbing stairs, or completing specific work-related tasks.
What are the Various Services in Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy for the elderly at home helps you with daily tasks such as bathing, eating, and dressing. Occupational therapy for the elderly includes the following services:
- Improving your motor abilities as a result of perceptual stimulation
- Using splints to assist you with your everyday tasks
- assisting you with the adaptation of equipment that you use regularly
- Self-care activity training that improves your ability to look after yourself
- Strengthening muscles and conserving energy
- Therapy for speech and language
The Occupational Therapy for Elderly With Dementia
The occupational therapy for the elderly with dementia can help people to improve their daily functioning. Social participation, and overall well-being. It has also been demonstrated to boost primary carers’ perception of competence and well-being.
It can support patients in a variety of ways:
- As the disease worsens, advice on new strategies to help you do daily tasks like dressing and preparing meals.
- Support in locating the appropriate equipment to assist with problems as they emerge, such as the appropriate wheelchair or comfortable chair.
- Longer-term recommendations, such as adopting additions like wet rooms or stairlifts, ensure your house meets your needs today and in the future.
- Fatigue treatment is essential since excessive weariness is a prevalent symptom of dementia.
- Occupational therapy for the elderly is helpful for Short-term memory loss with the use of memory methods and Long-term memory loss with reminiscence work.
- Systematic planning helps to shape and stabilize the day.
Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Elderly
Occupational therapy for the elderly with dementia aid treatment in three ways:
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Behavioral issues are being reduced
Patients with dementia experience humiliation, frustration, and worry when they cannot execute things they know they should be able to perform. These emotions can reach a boiling point, resulting in a catastrophic reaction in people living with dementia. Occupational therapy for the elderly with dementia can help minimize stress while performing duties, preventing a catastrophe.
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Caregivers’ Burdens are Reduced
Caregivers might seek advice from occupational therapists on how to reduce conflict. Caregivers, for example, can learn to offer the person with dementia a lot of leeways when it comes to activities like setting the table for dinner or other easy chores without putting too much stress on getting it right. The caregiver and the person with dementia will feel less frustrated and angry as a result of this, and the latter will feel more like they are contributing.
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Reduce the Amount of Care Required
Other benefits of structuring the surroundings for the caregiver include: If it’s structural, the caregiver will have to provide less care because the patient can accomplish simple things securely and effectively.
Last Thought
Occupational therapy for the elderly makes your life easier by assisting you with your loved one’s health and serving as a resource for all caregivers who are working to provide serenity to your parents or an elderly family member who is ageing in place daily.