Senior Occupational Therapy for Optimal Health

Edmonton Senior Home Care  |  October 21, 2024

What Every Senior in Edmonton, AB Needs to Know About Occupational Therapy

What is Senior Occupational Therapy?

Senior occupational therapy helps seniors lead independent and productive lives by allowing them to recover or develop skills needed to complete daily tasks. This practice has been known to be quite beneficial for seniors who feel they can no longer meet day-to-day physical and mental challenges.

Those who work in occupational therapy work to understand an individual’s specific needs. They assess by talking with the client, their family members, friends, and their primary doctor/physician. Therapists evaluate medical history, eating/sleeping patterns, and other behavioural patterns that can help form a thorough assessment. From there, they will develop a plan comprised of specific recommendations and techniques conducive to meeting his or her goals.

The Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Seniors

Many seniors receive occupational therapy to help perform activities of daily living (ADLs) – everything from bathing and toileting to getting dressed in the morning. Notwithstanding, certain conditions, such as arthritis or diabetes, can make performing these activities much more difficult. As a result, the goal is to help seniors learn to move and function and overcome physical challenges, despite diminished range of motion and mobility. That being said, occupational therapy is not limited to improving physical functionality. Therapists can use a variety of techniques to help improve memory and cognitive ability, as well.

Four Tips About How Occupational Therapy Can Help Seniors:

Tip #1 – Overcoming daily challenges: 

There are certain activities younger people take for granted. For seniors, these tasks may feel monumental. In fact, physical barriers can add to the overall stress a senior may feel. Therapists will work to form strategies that allow seniors to do things they used to or want to do Therapists help seniors overcome limitations or identify alternatives.

Tip #2 – Modifying the home: 

Some ADLs simply can’t be completed without some form of environmental assistance. Therapists may recommend that improvements or modifications be made in the home, whether it’s the installation of railings, mats, grip bars – or any other assistive devices designed to help improve balance and stability – or modified utensils that can make eating easier. This can make a significant difference for those who may be suffering from arthritis or Parkinson’s. The benefit of a therapist helping to modify the home is really twofold: on one hand, it helps improve functionality, and on the other, it enhances the safety of the overall environment.

Tip #3 – Improving mental well-being: 

As mentioned, occupational therapy does not revolve solely around improving physical well-being. If they’ve received referrals from doctors or other health care professionals to help reduce stress or anxiety, occupational therapists can incorporate relaxation exercises and techniques into a senior’s routine. Similarly, they can utilize various activities to help improve cognition, with crossword puzzles or memory games.

Tip #4 – Promoting independence: 

Therapists are instructed to help improve quality of life, not just within a short period, but for a lifetime – and that begins with taking into account what challenges a senior wishes to overcome, day in and day out. The key to occupational therapy is that it represents a way of educating and showing the steps an individual can take on their own to continue meeting their goals and completing ADLs.

How Comfort Keepers® Can Help Canada’s Seniors

The goals of occupational therapy – improving quality of life and promoting independence – coincide with that of Comfort Keepers®. Occupational therapists can provide direct communication to our team, informing them of changes in a client’s behaviour or specific needs. From there, our caregivers can reinforce prescribed techniques and strategies designed to help a senior meet his or her goals and maintain independence. Contact us today to discover all of the services we provide.

Comfort Keepers® in Edmonton Can Help with In-Home Elder Care!

If you are concerned about the health and well-being of your aging loved ones we can help with retirement care, 24-hour care, respite care, senior care, companionship care, end-of-life care, post-surgery care, palliative care, personal care, senior living transition services, and much more! 

Companionship Care and Interactive Caregiving™

Empathetic caregiving is care that starts in the heart and allows us to meet our client’s exact needs. Our trained caregivers help provide senior clients with the highest quality of life possible to keep them happy and healthy at home. Our Interactive Caregiving™ provides a system of care that addresses companionship, safety, nutrition, mind, body, and activities of daily living (ADLs).

Home Care Edmonton

To learn more about senior care in Edmonton, contact the Comfort Keepers® office to discuss our unique service offering. If you live in Devon, Edmonton, Sherwood Park, or Stony Plain and surrounding areas, contact Comfort Keepers at 780-465-4665.

Is Invoicing Modelling and Client Direct Home Care the Right Option for You?

Comfort Keepers® Edmonton is an Approved Service Provider for the Client Directed Homecare Invoicing (CDHCI) Program Offered by Alberta Health Services. Read more about the program HERE.

Comfort Keepers® Edmonton is here to help you and your loved ones get the best care possible. Recently awarded the “Accredited with Exemplary Standing” seal by Accreditation Canada, our Edmonton location has achieved the highest available certification in Canada for Home Care services. This demonstrates Comfort Keepers’ commitment to offering safe, high-quality home care to its senior clients in Edmonton.

References:

• SeniorsMatter. “Occupational Therapists for Seniors” by Alison McIntosh. Web. 2017.
• LiveStrong. “OT Exercises for Seniors” by Ashely Miller. Web. 2014.
• TopOccupationalTherapySchool. “Occupational Therapy for Seniors – What are the Key Benefits?” Web. 2016.
• LiveScience. “What is Occupational Therapy?” by Stephanie Pappas. Web. 2014.

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