Aged Care

Ageing may lead to a decline in physical abilities making it more difficult to perform everyday activities and can leave older adults feeling isolated and frustrated.

This is where we, as Occupational Therapists, can help.

Our experienced therapists can help assess you or your loved one’s needs and create a care plan that’ll help improve their independence, safety, and quality of life.

More common aged care related services we provide include:

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1. Assessment of ability to undertake Activities of Daily Living (or “ADLs”)

OT’s will typically initially assess someone’s ability to undertake everyday ADL’s, which includes items such as cooking, cleaning, bathing/showering, dressing, and toileting.

Following the assessment, our OT’s develop and progress a care plan that can help improve a patient’s ability to perform ADL’s. Amongst other things, this may include use of assistive technology devices, and/or various exercises.

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2. Assisting with mobility

We can assist seniors regain or retain their mobility via development and implementation of custom exercise programs, providing mobility aids, and teaching seniors how to navigate their environment safely.

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3. Ergonomics

Ageing can bring about or exacerbate various musculoskeletal issues and/or pain. OT’s can help alleviate this by providing guidance on how to adapt their home environments to make everyday tasks simpler and more achievable.

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4. Home Modifications & Assistive Technology

OT’s can assist by assessing the home and developing recommendations for home modifications that will make it easier for people to remain in the home independently. This may include installation of ramps or grab rails, widening doorways, or removing trip hazards.

Based on our observations, we can recommend and procure adaptive equipment and provide instruction around their use to help build independence.

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5. Managing Overwhelm

With changes in daily routines, physical abilities and/or living circumstances can understandably lead to feeling overwhelmed. As OT’s we can help seniors manage this overwhelm by providing and guiding through various coping strategies.

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6. Developing and Implementing Treatment Plans

We work with seniors one-on-one or with their family members, to develop customised treatment plans that address their specific needs. This may include:

• referrals to other therapies such as speech pathologists, physical therapy, lifestyle modifications;

• use of assistive technology/mobility aids;

• identifying and encouraging suitable social and recreational activities;

• sleep management and management of conditions such as MND, acquired brain injuries, arthritis and osteoporosis.