It’s Time To Reclaim Your Life And Get Back To Your Daily Activities
Do you have a pain-inducing injury or a medical condition that prevents you from doing the activities you enjoy doing? Occupational therapy is a great approach to learning how to execute activities of daily living without difficulty, regardless of the condition or injury that is limiting you from doing so.
Occupational therapy services enable patients to perform everyday activities. Our focus is to provide practical therapeutic services and adapt the home environment to optimize lifestyle goals. Optimal Home Rehab provides a comprehensive evaluation of a client’s home and recommends adaptive equipment, and provides training for the use of such equipment. We also offer guidance and education to family members and caregivers. Our clients are an integral part of our team. Additionally, our occupational therapists work with other Optimal Home Rehab therapists to coordinate and optimize rehabilitative care.
Our occupational therapists at Optimal Home Rehab can assist you in regaining control of your life. Make an appointment with one of our greater Philadelphia area, PA physical therapists today!
The Difference Between Occupational And Physical Therapy
Although occupational therapy and physical therapy are similar, there are a few key differences in how these therapies help patients.
The most basic difference between physical therapy and occupational therapy is that a physical therapist focuses on improving the patient’s ability to move their body whereas an occupational therapist focuses on improving the patient’s ability to perform self-care and activities of daily living.
A physical therapist, for example, will help a stroke patient build back muscles, while an occupational therapist will assist the patient in learning practical tasks such as walking, feeding, washing, and dressing. Physical therapy and occupational therapy are frequently combined so that patients’ relief is optimized.
Schedule an appointment today and discover if OT is appropriate for you.
Benefits Of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is a type of therapy that helps people with their everyday routines. For example, someone with a physical or functional limitation might require the assistance of an occupational therapist to help them with everyday tasks that have become difficult or impossible with a change in circumstances.
For the aging adult, simply getting older can cause major dysfunctions when it comes to everyday tasks. From memory loss to reduced physical health, completing normal activities like brushing one’s teeth or cleaning the house can become a challenge.
When working with an occupational therapist, the elderly can vastly improve their quality of life by learning countless tools to help them maintain their independence and continue to lead full lives regardless of their struggles.
Encourages Independence
Potentially the most important benefit of occupational therapy care is the fact that it encourages independence. As you’ll see, every benefit of occupational therapy helps the aging adult become more independent, allowing them to thrive.
One of the biggest struggles facing older adults is a loss of independence. Whether they’re physically unable to do things like drive or walk down the stairs, they may also feel limited in what they remember.
While most older adults will welcome the help of a caregiver, it’s still incredibly important to their health and vitality to do as much for themselves as possible. This sense of autonomy can help them to live longer and more happily.
Improves Range of Motion
In a physical sense, occupational therapy for older adults helps improve the range of motion. With the application of personalized physical therapy exercises, patients can reduce stiffness, increase flexibility, and improve strength over time.
With these tools, occupational therapy helps prevent falls and other injuries and, again, encourages independence as the elderly become more able to physically complete tasks.
Improves Vision
Similar to physical therapy, an occupational therapist can also work with the older adult’s vision. Like a muscle, vision works a little bit like “use it or lose it.” During an occupational therapy session, you’ll work on visual and brain exercises to improve vision.
Teaches Self-Care Techniques
Self-care is a major part of occupational therapy. In the home setting, an occupational therapist will help develop self-care habits such as independently brushing one’s teeth, tying shoes, putting on clothes, doing the dishes, and hanging up the washing.
All of these little self-care techniques can vastly improve one’s ability to operate without as much help from a caregiver. By working on fine motor skills and employing habit-changing tools, self-care can be completely transformed with elderly occupational therapy.
Improves Cognitive Skills and Memory
As memory and cognitive function begin to deteriorate in old age, occupational therapy can help improve these skills and retrieve memories that were thought to be long gone.
During occupational therapy, any older adult suffering from dementia or other cognitive problems will work on sensory stimulation and memory-building exercises to regain some of those skills.
Improves Coping Mechanisms for Chronic Pain
As our bodies age, even the simplest things can cause pain. Some older adults live with chronic pain which can present itself in a variety of ways. Perhaps one person might cope with pain by lashing out. Others might suffer in silence. Occupational therapy can help adjust these coping mechanisms by putting healthier alternatives in place.
By working on better communication skills and educating the older adult on proactive pain control through physical exercise or ergonomics adjustments, occupational therapists can help the elderly cope with their pain.
Improves Overall Quality of Life
Overall, occupational therapy improves the quality of life for older adults. All of these benefits feed into one another, leading to an altogether healthier, more active lifestyle that creates a ripple effect in every facet of existence.
Better physical health often encourages better mental health. Better vision encourages better memory. Better coping mechanisms encourage better physical health. And better home modifications encourage a better sense of independence.
Our occupational therapists concentrate on the practical needs of each patient by incorporating exercises and practices that facilitate physical and psychological well-being.
At Optimal Home Rehab, our therapy plans include:
- Customized intervention activities to improve daily tasks and activities for the patient.
- An individual evaluation to determine patient goals.
- An evaluation of outcomes to determine if goals were met and to make changes to the plan if needed.
Occupational Therapists address psychological, social, and environmental factors that may hinder an individual’s functioning in different ways.
Reclaim Your Life With Occupational Therapy
You have arrived at the right location if you are looking for an occupational therapist in the greater Philadelphia area, PA! When you can easily engage in your hobbies and daily activities again, you will feel better emotionally, physically, and mentally. Optimal Home Rehab is ready to set you on the path to a more enjoyable, comfortable, and functional life! Occupational therapy has several advantages, but you will only find out for yourself if you call us at 267-225-7775 or click here to schedule an appointment!