For more than 40 years, the skilled team of healthcare professionals at Santa Ana’s South Coast Post Acute has helped us earn our reputation as Southern California’s premier choice for skilled nursing, rehabilitation therapy, post-hospital care, and post-acute care. We are your compassionate, supportive partner along every step of your post-acute journey, supporting all of your medical and health goals. Our aim is to help you recover and return to your home, and life, as quickly as possible. Our range of rehabilitative and restorative services include occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. This month, we’d like to focus on occupational therapy – what it is, its intended outcomes, and why you should trust South Coast Post Acute if you or a loved one is a candidate for occupational therapy.
What is it?
Simply put, occupational therapy is a form of therapy for people recuperating from physical or mental illness that encourages and supports rehabilitation through the performance of activities required in day-to-day living. Occupational therapy offers tangible benefits that are easily measurable, including improving the skills necessary to achieve independence in feeding, bathing, dressing and other self-care activities. There are less-obvious benefits that are also real, including helping a post-acute patient appropriately respond to information coming through the senses, including developmental activities, sensory integration or sensory processing. They also include facilitating activities that instruct as well as aiding a patient in interacting and communicating with others, identifying needed assistive technology devices and supports, and preparing the patient, family and loved ones for changes in routines.
What are the desired outcomes? Occupational therapists work closely with other members of
the recovery team to identify desired outcomes, and determine the services, supports, and accommodations needed to achieve those outcomes. By developing an innate understanding of the impact of disability, occupational therapists work to improve a post-acute patient’s ability to function in everyday life. The primary desired outcome is to help patients learn to be as independent as possible; because each patient is unique, the goals and desired outcomes of the treatment plan will be specific to his or her needs. Ideally, patients and their families should understand that therapy needs to continue until the patient attains the skills necessary to return home. The nature of the therapy depends on the disability, how quickly he or she learns new skills, as well as the goals of the family. Once skills are mastered in one area – self-care, for example – therapy will focus on the other skills needed to be functional in the community.
If you or a loved one requires occupational therapy, trust South Coast Post Acute.
Our team offers years of empathetic, caring, real-world expertise helping patients regain the skills necessary to live rich fulfilling lives after debilitating illnesses and injuries. Contact us today to learn how we can help!
Real People. Remarkable Care. South Coast Post Acute.