HOME SAFETY EVALUATIONS
Occupational Therapists will come to your home, observe you performing your typical activities of daily living, and recommend home modifications that can improve your safety.
Our clinicians collect data related to a model called
"Person-Environment-Occupation"
It's not just about the person, or the environment, or the activity. It is about the interaction of these three areas. Occupational Therapists analyze all three areas as part of the OT evaluation to maximize independence and promote safety.
"But, will she be safe at home?"
Or, will HE be safe at home?
No one knows for sure.
And, certainly, it is very difficult to tell when an older adult is sick and hospitalized, if the person will return to a prior level of function.
The older adult may be insistent that once he or she is home, everything will be fine; adult children are worried. Doctors and therapists can't tell for sure. The older adult INSISTS on going home, and the truth is, the familiar home environment WILL bring out the best in the person. Reduced anxiety, reduced chance of getting C-Diff or COVID, and familiar habits and routines will be encouraged. But, the older adult may be surprised at the limitations that go home, too...
Home-based occupational therapy can enter the scene, and help the client and family analyze the risks and benefits of staying at home. OT can offer new strategies and recommend the "just right" amount of supervision or care that can help keep a person safe at home.
If the person isn't safe at home, the Occupational Therapist can help the client understand the dangers and explore a new living environment----that WILL be safe.
