Occupational therapy

[catherinewa]

Hi there
Has anyone had experience of occupational therapy in connection with a diagnodis for both the patient and partner...
What kind of things can they offer and/or can you ask for???

 

[SherwoodSue]

Hello

With mum, the OT led on getting a diagnosis. We already had scans done from falls events so she interviewed mum and fed her findings to psychiatrist to confirm.

The OT was great. Saw straight past mums hostess mode. OT also referred mum to cognitive stimulation course as mum lives alone. Mum loved that.

As mum already had carers there wasn’t a need to support there. Also we had already claimed for Attendance Allowance and completed an LPA so OT advised but no need if you see

OT also told me about council tax rebate

OT told us of groups in the area and an on line care course for me.

Much more than ‘basket weaving’ now 😉

 

[Grannie G]

Hello @catherinewa

Other health professionals

You may see other health professionals in your home, a care home or in hospital. These professionals provide help with specific areas of physical health listed in this section.

www.alzheimers.org.uk

Might this help?

 

[SeaSwallow]

Hello @catherinewa The OT will generally look at how the person with dementia is coping with daily living and what aids can help with that. For example making showering or bathing safer, walking and perching aids, outside rails and ramps etc.

 

[canary]

OH has had a couple of OT assessments in the house. Things that they have ordered for him are
Grab rails around the house, especially in the bathroom and by steps (front and back door)
An extra banister rail so he can hold on each side.
Raisers on the sofa and chairs to make it easier for him to stand up
A perching stool in the bathroom so that he can sit to wash, clean his teeth etc
A bathboard, recently upgraded to a bath chair so that he can sit for a shower (we have a shower over the bath)
Ramps for front and back door.
A walking frame (actually we have two - one for upstairs and one for downstairs). He already had a four wheeled rollator from the physio.

Other things that he could have been offered, but didnt need are - a bed riser, higher seat on the toilet (in both these cases ours are quite high and he can manage them with grab rails). A toilet frame if grab rails are not sufficient. A commode if he couldnt get to the toilet.
There are probably other things as well

 

[Angel55]

Hi there
Has anyone had experience of occupational therapy in connection with a diagnodis for both the patient and partner...
What kind of things can they offer and/or can you ask for???

Hello 💗

We had a stair rail fitted through the OT, grab rails, bath board (not suitable) , toilet frame , various frames, general advice so we could buy things like a shower chair . They came out to the house a couple of times as things changed.

 

[Fugs]

If the OT is part of the diagnosis I am not sure that you can ask for anything from them. (But happy to be proved wrong) My wife's initial Alzheimer's diagnosis was from a private Psychiatrist. The consultant from OPMH unit was having none of it and virtually rubbished that diagnosis because my wife could (and mostly still does) speak so fluently. Plus she didn't admit to having any problems. As part of her diagnosis she had a PET-CT scan, plus a visit from OT. The OT asked my wife to make a cup of tea, and a simple meal. (Baked beans on toast). No amount of verbal fluency could conceal how much of a challenge that was for her.
The next visit to the consultant he had a very different tone.

 

[sdmhred]

What a great idea to do a functional OT assessment as part of diagnostic process - I like that!