What is Occupational Therapy in Neurological Rehabilitation?
In the UK, approximately 14.7 million people are living with a neurological condition. That is roughly one in six people living with a type of neurological condition that affects their nervous system, including the brain and spine. To reduce the impact of these conditions, there are several types of rehabilitation and therapy techniques, each aiming to protect different functions. One common therapy type is occupational therapy (OT).
OT is often a vital part of a care plan for a loved one with a neurological condition because it helps them maintain movements that enable them to live independently for as long as possible. However, it is often confused with physical therapy. So, what is occupational therapy, and what role does it play in neurological rehabilitation?
At Luxurycare, our Branksome Park Care Home is a specialist neurological centre that provides a full care plan for those living with most neurological conditions. In this blog, we explain what OT is and why it is an important part of neurological rehabilitation.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapy is often confused with physical therapy because they both use exercises to build muscle strength and maintain or improve movement.
Being able to complete daily activities on our own is something we take for granted most of the time – that is until it starts slipping away from us. At the point you begin to lose that ability, you realise how much it is linked to your sense of worth, identity and general well-being.
So, occupational therapy aims to maintain muscle groups and movements needed for everyday tasks, referred to as occupations.
With this in mind, the aim is to help your loved one stay independent, which in turn can impact their mental and emotional health.
What Role Does It Play In Neurological Care?
As you will know, a neurological condition will impact your loved ones’ nervous system, including the brain and spine.
This is likely to cause some trouble with some tasks over time.
Occupational therapy is an intervention therapy that aims to address these issues before they get too bad. The exercises are designed to help your loved one find alternative ways to complete a task or adapt the movement slightly so that they can do the activity once the condition inhibits their ability to do it in the way they have always done it.
Sometimes, the therapy might be teaching them a new skill, and sometimes, it might be to regain an old one – it will depend on their condition and their circumstances.
When Should Occupational Therapy Become Part Of A Care Plan?
OT isn’t a preventative therapy but is likely part of palliative care for your loved one with a neurological condition.
This means it isn’t necessarily needed as soon as they receive a diagnosis. However, there will likely be a discussion at this point about putting it in place to help you and your loved one understand the condition and its progression. Having it as part of the care plan this early also allows your loved one to address symptoms as they appear.
Typically, it will be added when the condition starts to affect your loved one’s ability to perform daily activities. This could be after a neurological event, such as a stroke or brain injury, or it could be further down the line from a diagnosis when your loved one’s symptoms make activities such as eating, cooking, or getting dressed and other tasks difficult.
At this stage, occupational therapy simply helps them adapt to these challenges, finding alternative ways to do something so they can continue to do it on their own.
Finally, OT might be added to a care plan for your loved one with a neurological condition to help their mental and emotional well-being. While the therapy does not directly work on their mental health, it can result in improved mental health.
Why? Because neurological conditions can be frustrating and isolating, often leading to depression or anxiety. This makes sense when you think about the fact that they are losing their ability to be independent. So, working with your loved one to remain independent can inadvertently decrease frustrations and depression.
What Does Occupational Therapy For Neurological Conditions Include?
Occupational therapy includes several elements. They often won’t be done in a set order rather than combined for an overall outcome.
Key elements will include:
- Assessments and goal setting – assessing what work needs to be done and setting goals.
- Relearning daily activities – relearning and practising usual day-to-day activities.
- Motor skill rehabilitation – exercises to improve hand and finger dexterity as well as strengthen larger muscle groups.
- Cognitive rehabilitation – training to help improve memory, problem-solving, focus and other cognitive functions.
- Compensatory strategies – putting in strategies to help manage cognitive impairment.
- Emotional and psychological assistance – techniques to deal with frustration, depression and anxiety.
- Environmental modifications – adjusting living spaces to improve accessibility and reduce risks of falls.
- Caregiver training – educating caregivers on how to provide assistance as and when it is needed.
Your loved one’s OT programme will be bespoke to them based on their condition, needs and living space.
Occupational Therapy For Neurological Conditions at LuxuryCare
Occupational therapy is a useful and important part of care for your loved one with a neurological condition.
While it might not be necessary as soon as you receive a diagnosis, it will likely become part of their care plan as the condition progresses.
This is because it will help them remain as independent as possible, which will also likely help their mental health.
If your loved one is receiving OT currently but looking to move into a care home, don’t worry because they can continue their OT programme even while living in a care home.
Whether they move into one of our care homes in Poole or Bournemouth for residential care, nursing care, palliative care or respite care, or they move into Branksome Park for its specialist neurological care, we will ensure that OT is part of their bespoke care plan with us.
Alternatively, if your loved one isn’t currently receiving OT but might need it in the future with us, you can rest assured we will put it in place in a timely manner. Our care plans are flexible and regularly reviewed, so as your loved one’s neurological condition progresses, their care plan will adapt too; this will include adding different types of therapies to it.
At LuxuryCare, we want our residents to live as independently as possible, so we prioritise access to therapies such as occupational therapy and physical therapy.
Of course, all this work is mixed in with our fun daily activities, delicious home-cooked meals, and plenty of rest in our gardens and communal spaces.
If you are interested in learning more about how we incorporate occupational therapy in our neurological care, then don’t hesitate to visit us.
Call us on 01202 037373 or complete our online contact form to arrange a visit to your chosen home.
