Occupational Therapist Contra Costa County

What is occupational therapy?

the use of particular activities as an aid to recuperation from physical or mental illness through the use of assessment and intervention to develop, or maintain meaningful activities, recover, or occupations

What does an occupational therapist do?

Occupational therapists treat injured, disabled, or ill patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. A few other works of an occupational therapist include :

• Helping clients regain, enhance and go about their daily lives after specific events Such as stroke or a hip replacement.
• Assessing and modifying clients home and environments to reduce or get rid of casualties.
• Educating patients on how to use adaptive equipment to assist in everyday activities.
• Child care as it helps children develop fine motor receptors and learning abilities.
• Helps in educating children and parents to facilitate normal development and increase the learning abilities of children.
• Designing and coordinating a graded return to work programs.
• Educating clients on safer work practices.
• Developing strategies for coping for clients in overcoming their mental health issues.
• Helping clients boost their self-esteem in social situations.

Jobs of an occupational therapist can range from child care, mental health, acute care, rehabilitation. Occupational therapists generally try to find out why a client cannot perform certain actions they are used to performing such as activities they like and need to do.

• Occupational therapists (OTs) have to find out Your physical abilities such as strength, balance, and coordination.
• The physical set up of your house, school, workplace and how it can affect and help your situation.
• Your mental abilities such as your memory, coping and organizational abilities. Materials you use in your everyday life such as types of furniture, kitchen utensils etc.
• What social and emotional support is available to you at home, school, work or in the community.

An occupational therapist would help you depending on your problem. Help can range from.

1. Helping you accept and overcome your disability.
2. Helping you go through your everyday routine with the abilities you have.
3. Educating and instructing you on materials you can use around the house, workplace or school, to take care of yourself, to participate in sports etc. e.g car modifications such as one hand steering wheels.
4. Use of printing, attention, and self-regulation, Child-Centered Collaboration to help with learning difficulties.
5. Recommending changes to the environments where you do your everyday activities such as change the physical layout of your workplace, home or school – e.g. lowering/raising desktops, countertops and keyboards.

above all this, occupational therapy helps overcome things like unemployment amongst with developmental disabilities, moving into nursing homes early, consequent admission and readmission into hospitals.

How does HealthNow Home Health care help?

Homecare occupational therapy helps in the prevention of falls, home modifications, installation of assistant devices and general health promotion.

Here at HealthNow Home Health care, First you will need a therapist who will do a thorough evaluation and come up with a tailored treatment plan. These plans aim to improve skills and abilities by taking a person’s physical, psychological and social well-being into account as well as any environmental factors such as place of work, Study or recreational activities.

Occupational Therapist assist patients by aiding them in relearning day-to-day activities and skills like dressing or bathing, feeding, cooking & moving around. It may be necessary after:

• • A stroke

• • Hip or knee replacement surgery

• • traumatic injuries (brain or spinal cord)

• • mental health or behavioral problems.

• • A heart attack or heart failure

• • Difficulty bathing

• • Difficulty with meals

• • Joint pain

• • Any noticeable decline in function

• • birth injuries or birth defects.

• • broken bones or other orthopedic injuries sensory processing disorders.

• • learning problems.

• • Difficulty dressing

• • autism /pervasive developmental disorders.

• juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.