There are many things to think about when it comes to home safety. For seniors, and for adults with aging parents, making sure the home is safe is paramount. For many people, this means working in occupational therapy to conduct a home safety assessment. An occupational therapist can help you identify potential hazards in your home and recommend solutions to make your living space safe. Keep reading to learn more!
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is the science of helping people live independently, in an ideal environment, and continue to perform the important activities of daily living. This applies both to allowing these people to continue to meet their basic needs, but also to engage in leisure activities.
Thus, an occupational therapist is specially trained and qualified to assess a person’s condition and how it affects their independence and daily life. This condition may be related to an illness, a disability, an accident or a loss of autonomy. The professional is then able to propose concrete adjustments to improve the person’s autonomy and quality of life.
An occupational therapist can work in many different types of settings, whether at home or in a seniors’ residence, or even in schools or health care facilities.
Occupational therapy at home in the event of loss of autonomy
Loss of autonomy is unfortunately inherent to aging and is a multifactorial problem. This phenomenon highlights the issue of autonomy at home for seniors. With this in mind, it may then be appropriate to seek the services of a home occupational therapist for home safety assessment.
Clinique GO™ offers in-home occupational therapy services, which can be very beneficial in such a setting. Here’s what an in-home safety assessment intervention encompasses:
- A physical assessment to develop a portrait of the person’s abilities and limitations;
- An assessment of the rooms in the home;
- A fall risk assessment;
- An assessment of the risks related to moving around the home (stairs, etc.);
- The implementation of a plan for the necessary adaptations to reduce risks and improve safety;
- Strengthening exercises can be suggested by the occupational therapist to the client;
- Advice on safe transfers: getting up and down, positional transfers (sitting to standing, etc.).
Whether the condition is caused by an illness or by the loss of autonomy related to aging, the objective is always to promote home care in a context that is as safe as possible. We promote mobility and autonomy to allow the elderly person to remain at home longer.
Why use our in-home services?
Clinique GO™’s occupational therapists are able to work directly in your home or the home of a loved one. In a context of loss of independence, it makes a lot of sense to call on their services. Here’s why:
- To benefit from a better evaluation of your environment. Our professionals can then propose concrete adaptations;
- To save your energy, since you don’t have to travel to meet a professional;
- To maintain or improve your autonomy on a daily basis;
- To promote your safety;
- To ensure peace of mind for your children and loved ones;
- To promote your overall quality of life.
To request an appointment and find out how our occupational therapists can help you, fill out the form available on our website.
Approuvé par Francis Desjardins
