Occupational Therapy sessions may involve the following:
Evaluation of the following
o An interview to obtain
o medical history
o an understanding of how independent you were in daily tasks before your condition/coming to the hospital
o an understanding of your home environment (including physical setup and support structure)
o a job description and what your job demands were
o an understanding of how independent you were at home before admission
o an understanding of your goals for therapy
Assessment of your ability to perform activities of daily living. This includes your ability to:
o Move-in bed and get in/out of bed
o Dress yourself
o Get in and out of the bath/shower and wash yourself
o Get to and on/off the toilet
o Undertake grooming tasks
o Undertake food preparation tasks
o Follow a routine independently and take responsibility for your
o Medication and home
o Execute shopping and home management
o Execute driving skills
o Execute work skills
o Writing skills
Assessment of physical skills:
o Balance to sit, stand and move from one surface to another
o The ability to move- roll, sit, stand
o Movement of the hands and arms
o Feeling in the hand and arms
o Coordination of the hands
o Strength of the hands and arms
o Swelling
o Pain and the impact of pain on function
o Assessment of cognitive skills
o Ability to follow instructions
o Memory
o Concentration
o Judgment and problem-solving
o Multitasking
o Insight
o Orientation
o Mental flexibility
o Assessment of perceptual skills
o Knowing where your body is in space and how to use it
o Basic visual skills and how you are interpreting what you are seeing
o Knowing how to orientate yourself in your surroundings
o A home visit may be undertaken to assess the physical setup at home
All tasks are assessed with the understanding of what you were required to do before the onset of your condition/ injury or before you were admitted and where you will be going following discharge.
Occupational Therapy treatment involves treatment of the problem that was assessed and will involve practicing the skill.
Treatment of activities of daily living may include:
- Recommendations on equipment that may help independence
- Training on equipment that is issued to assist independence
- Teaching dressing techniques
- Practicing and training on transfers to
chair/wheelchair/toilet/car/shower chair
- Training of grooming skills
- Establishing a routine
- Training in home management tasks
- Training a caregiver or family on techniques
- Home visit to advise on equipment use and to undergo family and
caregiver training
- Shopping trip
- Driving skills training
- Endurance training
- Work-related tasks including writing, computer, sitting for long periods
and specific work tasks
Treatment will occur in the setting most appropriate to complete the task, where available, for example practicing one-handed washing in the shower. It is important for you to set specific goals with the occupational therapist that you would like to achieve.
Treatment of physical skills which will improve your independence in activities of daily living and may include the following:
- Activities that challenge sitting and standing balance
- Stretching and moving the trunk, neck, arm, and hand
- Activities to practice coordination of the hands
- Activities to strengthen the arms, hands, and trunk
- Sensory activities to improve sensation and awareness of the hand and body
- Splinting to protect injuries/ prevent deformity/ enable functioning
- Wound care
- Scar massage
- Bandaging for swelling
Treatment of cognitive skills may include:
- Activities, games, or tasks that challenge concentrations, memory,
- judgment and problem-solving skills
- Tasks with various types of instructions
- Tasks where you are required to focus on more than one aspect at a
- time
- Education sessions
- Training of Perceptual skills may include
- Use of mirror
- Massage or use of deep pressure on the hands and arms
- Giving specific instructions on how to use the body
- Specific task set up to aid in training automatic movements
- Visual training exercises
- Using reading or visually challenging activities (eg. Sudoku or word searches)
Duration of treatment varies for each individual but ideally will be until the goals are achieved. Therapy may therefore be terminated while in hospital or following transfer to rehab and may continue following discharge from hospital and only be terminated following several home or work visits.
It is important for you to set specific goals with the occupational therapist that you would
like to achieve. Duration of treatment varies for each individual but ideally will be until the
goals are achieved.
Pricing
We realize that when you have become injured or are suffering from any medical condition expenses can be endless. We make every effort to ensure that our service is affordable by aiming to achieve the following
· We make use of medical aid savings where available- we charge medical aid rates and submit directly to medical aids
· Your treatment plan is presented to you in a way you can understand
· Submit prescribed minimum benefit (PMB) motivations to medical aids for qualifying individuals
Contact our rooms to arrange for an appointment. Be sure to clearly state your needs on the phone. One of our staff will assist in ensuring the right amount of time is scheduled for your appointment and that you are booked with the appropriate therapist.
Alternatively, send us an email with your needs and we will contact you.
Please note that the rooms in Benoni are on the first floor and require you to walk up a flight of stairs. If you are not able to manage the stairs, please inform the receptionist and your appointment will be arranged in an accessible location nearby.