What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational Therapy (OT) enables people to become as independent as possible in their daily living activities at home, at work and in leisure pursuits. An Occupational Therapist assesses and treats conditions using specific, purposeful activity to prevent disability and promote independent function in all aspects of daily life.   Occupational Therapy can play a large role in helping patients maintaining independence and helping them find ways to cope with their new or existing disability.

At Ability Matters, we stock a range of mobility and daily living aids to facilitate  independence when engaging in your everyday activities.

Our Occupational Therapist works with each individual to optimise their quality of life by:

• Assessing their functional capacity, home environment and individual needs.
• Facilitating the selection of mobility and everyday living aids that suit the individual’s lifestyle.
• Educating the individual in the use and maintenance of these aids.

Benefits of Occupational Therapy:

• Enjoy greater function and safety in your home – adapting your environment to suit your needs now and in the future.
• Improve mobility and function – advice for mobility and aids of daily living.
• Enjoy greater comfort – improved posture in seating.
• Holistic treatment – physical and cognitive strategies for symptom management.
• Enable people to do the things they enjoy – advising on fatigue management & energy conservation.
• Increase independence – links to agencies for supported employment services and return to driving.

The Person – Assessment & Treatment:

The Person is assessed to determine:

• What activities they struggle with most?
• Which activities are most important to them?
• What is their level of satisfaction with their performance of these everyday activities?
• The assessment process may involve a home assessment if a patient is struggling to manage their activities of daily living i.e. eating, washing, cooking, gardening etc.
• Following the assessment, aims and objectives can be established and a treatment plan can begin.