An occupational therapist (OT) helps people of all ages overcome challenges completing everyday tasks or activities – what we call ‘occupations’. Occupational therapists (OT) perspective see’s beyond diagnoses and limitations to hopes and aspirations. They look at relationships between your daily activities, your occupations, and the challenges you face and your environment.
Then, they create a plan of goals and adjustments targeted at achieving a specific set of activities. The plan is practical, realistic and personal to you as an individual to help you achieve the breakthroughs you need to elevate your everyday life. This support can give people a renewed sense of purpose. It can also open up new opportunities and change the way people feel about the future.
Who do occupational therapists work with?
Occupational therapists work with adults and children of all ages who have a wide range of conditions. Most commonly, they help those living with mental health conditions or physical or learning disabilities. And you’ll find them helping people live their best life in health organisations, social care services, housing, education and voluntary organisations.
Many occupational therapists practice independently, too, and work with members of the public, asylum seekers and refugees, alongside the police or fire services or with psychiatric services. What should you be considering before helping someone apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant application? One thing worth noting is that in some instances, the DFG is not the best way to secure equipment, and there may be quicker and more effective ways to meet your client’s needs. Here are a few things that are vital to consider:
Getting in and out of the property
Before deciding what to buy or what to apply for, I’d always recommend a site visit to ascertain:
- The level of the client’s walking ability.
- The client’s condition – is likely to get worse, and does this need to be built into your recommendations?
- The client’s budget – clearly, there is no point in trying to sell a customer something they can’t afford.
After your site visit, you’ll then have the information you need to decide if other, lower-cost options are available, including aids, appliances, ramps and/or grab rails.
Making the property safe (or safer) for everyone living there
Safety can be fairly subjective but what’s clear is that some low-cost solutions can be done to make a home safer without breaking the bank. For example, a ring doorbell (or similar product) may help the client to open the front door without getting up, while a cage for the letterbox can keep letters at a sensible height to reduce the chances of slips and falls. Thinking creatively can often help improve a customer’s safety without spending thousands of pounds.
Access to the living room
Before removing furniture or prescribing generic equipment, it’s well worth considering something like a riser and recliner chair (or similar) to improve the safety of the living room, rather than relying on low-level furniture that may or not be able to be raised.
Access to the bedroom
Stairlifts are often considered the initial ‘go-to’ piece of equipment. Still, sometimes, a second bannister or a grab rail can provide safety for your client’s needs while keeping them active rather than disabling them.
Access to the toilet
It might sound silly, but no toilet use is the same and understanding how your client uses the toilet will go a long way towards understanding what help you can give them. Do they stand up or sit down? Is continence an issue? Do they need to hold onto something throughout? After a full assessment, you’ll be in a better position to make recommendations, which may be as simple as continence pads, urine bottles and a commode – until you assess, you won’t know.
Access to a bath or shower
One big issue with bath and shower access is that clients regularly purchase equipment – like a bath lift – to help them in the area. Often, however, the solution they arrive at isn’t suitable for them. If a client has invested in a bath lift and it hasn’t worked out, they may need a more appropriate lift, a grab rail, or a bath step. If you are looking for solutions to bath or shower challenges without adaptation, I can strongly recommend you consider the ‘Ocean Self-Propelled Shower Commode’ from Invacare. As this is a major area for clients, a home visit should also be considered if that is something that your organization can offer.
Access to a wash hand basin
Again, before specifying, it’s important to understand exactly the problem with the current hand basin. Is it an issue with the taps? A problem with standing? An issue of location or difficulty with size? Tap turners and perching stools are two easy, cost-effective ways to improve a wash hand basin, while grab rails can also be recommended, especially if the issue is related to balance and stability. Sensory loss is also something well worth bearing in mind. If the handbasin is in a dark corner of the room, then equipment may not solve the problem and relocation or additional lighting, maybe the only option.
Preparing and cooking food
It’s often the case that gadgets and equipment can be used rather than remodelling a whole kitchen. Whether it’s a battery-operated opener, a nonslip mat, adapted cutlery or a universal kettle tipper, plenty of devices can aid the preparation and cooking of food. I’d definitely recommend having a conversation with a company like Ropox as they’re able to offer simple ways of adapting kitchens through equipment or some minor kitchen changes rather than full-scale remodelling.
Improving or providing heating
Heating is clearly imperative, particularly during the winter months. But it does come with risks, as being burnt by a hot radiator is a genuine problem faced by clients. A few ways to counteract this issue is to use low surface temperature radiator paint or a long grab rail above the radiator to stop it from being used to steady oneself whilst walking. Also, it’s worth thinking small as well as big – a small heater or fan can help ensure appropriate temperature control without needing a heating engineer.
Controlling power lifts and heating
This is the area where voice-activated tech like Alexa, Google and Siri comes into their own. A mobile phone can now power most things in your house, from running a bath to turning lights on and off. Some clients may be resistant to technology, but equally, you’ll find that plenty is happy to embrace it, which means that huge gains can be made within a house for just a few hundred pounds.
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