How Can Occupational Therapy Help With Everyday Tasks?

It feels almost painful to watch.

Your father, who previously has been functioning independently, is having difficulty getting dressed. The problem started after severe arthritis caused him to be extremely limited. You’re happy to help, but you would rather see your father living more independently again.

How can occupational therapy help?

Occupational therapy and physical therapy rehabilitation programs in Greenville, like the ones at East Carolina Rehabilitation and Wellness, can make a huge difference in the quality of your parent’s or loved one’s life.

We’ll take a closer look at what occupational therapy is, how can occupational therapy helps, and what an occupational therapist does to help patients.

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is the facet of therapy that concentrates on helping patients successfully regain skills that enable them to function in everyday life.

For example, someone who has had a hip replacement or an injury may be unable to bend down to put on socks. Through occupational therapy, the patient will be able to learn how to use an assistive device to accomplish this.

Occupational therapy concentrates on skills of daily living, such as getting dressed, going to the bathroom, and brushing your teeth.

What Does the Occupational Therapist Do?

The occupational therapist is responsible for helping the patient relearn how to perform tasks of everyday living. The therapist may also assign sets of specific exercises and help discern which assisted devices would provide the greatest benefit.

What Are Some Examples of Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy can be as varied as the patients who can benefit from it. Some examples of occupational therapy include:

  • Using a “sock helper” device to enable the patient to put on socks without bending over. This is especially useful for those who have had hip replacements, strokes, or other types of injury.
  • Utilizing a small, handheld device to pull buttons through the buttonhole. This is useful in learning how to put on a shirt.
  • Teaching adaptations or using special tools to enable the patient to use eating utensils again
  • Practice picking up objects with tweezers or performing other exercises to strengthen fine motor skills.

These are some useful examples of how can occupational therapy help.

East Carolina Rehabilitation and Wellness Offers Occupational Therapy Near Greenville, NC

If your father is having difficulty putting on his shirt, it can be a frustrating experience for everyone. You want to help him, but you realize this means he won’t be learning how to do it himself.

How can occupational therapy help? We’ve demonstrated the many ways our therapists at East Carolina Rehabilitation and Wellness have helped our residents accomplish everyday tasks.

Our occupational therapists have helped residents just like your father regain movement and skills they have lost due to illness, accidents, or injuries. By working closely with our occupational therapists in Greenville, we can help him learn to dress again.

At East Carolina Rehabilitation and Wellness, we offer physical, occupational, and speech therapy by experienced, credentialed therapists whose compassion extends to the patient’s entire family.

While some of our residents stay with us long-term, many are here simply to regain their functionality so they can return to living with their loved ones as soon as safely possible.

Would you like to know more about our therapy programs and how they can benefit the ones you love? Contact us today to schedule a tour.