Occupational Therapy Inpatient Rehabilitation Team
Where we work:
Cheddar Ward – Care of the Elderly
As people get older they can find it difficult to recover following an admission into hospital. If a person was previously living in their own home and needs therapy to regain their ability, our team will assess individually to find out what input is required, to enable a safe discharge from hospital.
Sometimes an individual may be confused. In this case our team would ensure any input is in the best interest of that person. We would follow the Mental Capacity Act and best interest checklist to ensure appropriate intervention and treatment.
Uphill Ward – Rehabilitation Unit
Some people find it difficult to recover after a fall, surgery or have long term conditions they are already trying to manage and a hospital admission impacts on this. Our team aims to provide therapy to enable functional recovery where possible. If progress is slow, a meeting can be held to identify how a safe discharge from hospital can be made. Sometimes therapy is required after discharge which can be provided by the community teams.
Stroke Unit –
Having a stroke can have an impact on physical and cognitive function. Our team aim to assess individuals to find out the extent of difficulty an individual is experiencing. We are guided by the Stroke NICE guidelines in relation to therapy, if appropriate to that individual. People can become unwell with complications but we continue to review and monitor circumstances. Stroke recovery is different for everyone. If ongoing therapy needs are identified we would refer to community teams to continue necessary input, once discharged.
Orthopaedic/surgical team (inpatients) –
Steepholm Ward – elective orthopaedics and elective surgery.
Patients coming into hospital for elective joint surgery will have been assessed pre-operatively by an Occupational Therapist at Joint School or Hip Group. They will be assessed post operatively if appropriate and safely discharged to their home.
Hutton Ward – trauma orthopaedics and surgery.
These patients have been admitted to hospital as a result of a trauma or accident. The initial assessment from the Occupational Therapist will be to find out about the home situation and what the individual needs to achieve to return home safely. We will usually discuss this with the patient but will involve family/carers if necessary and appropriate.
At this stage we will ask families to bring in clothes and to measure the heights of bed, chairs and toilets at the patients home as this enables us to carry out safe and realistic assessments of people’s abilities.
A personal care assessment will demonstrate a person’s ability to get washed and dressed (a task most people want to achieve themselves rather than have a carer to do it), and having their own clothes to put on is a great motivator.
The use of adaptive equipment is beneficial to assist with the recovery but a home assessment would only be carried out if there were significant indicators that there were going to be functional difficulties at home that could not be assessed in the hospital.
Medical team (inpatients) –
Harptree East and West – acute assessment wards.
Kewstoke
Berrow
Patients with a medical problem may present with physical or cognitive difficulties which make managing at home safely difficult. The Occupational Therapist will assess these in a variety of ways.
Initial assessment – this will inform us of how people usually manage at home and of any help that is received. If it is not possible to gain this information from the patient due to confusion or memory problems then we would act in their best interest and the next of kin will be approached to give the details.
Personal care assessment – this will assess physical actions such as bending but also cognitive processes like sequencing, remembering and problem solving.
Transfer assessments involving getting in/out of bed, on/off chair and toilet will enable the OT to establish if any equipment would make it easier and safer at home.
Assessment in our OT kitchen can be useful to highlight any concerns with safety especially memory and carrying of hot drinks. Again there are useful pieces of equipment which might be prescribed.
The use of adaptive equipment is beneficial to assist with the recovery but a home assessment would only be carried out if there were significant indicators that there were going to be functional difficulties at home that could not be assessed in the hospital.
Sometimes a visit to a patients home to assess whether larger pieces of equipment, i.e. hoist, would fit is necessary, this would be carried out without the patient but with a trusted key holder/next of kin.