Occupational Therapy

The aim of occupational therapy (often called OT) is to support the stroke patient in their everyday living.

Six months after a stroke approximately half of survivors are dependent on others to help them carry out everyday tasks. Problems with movement, co-ordination and perception can make it hard to perform everyday activities like washing, dressing, eating and going up stairs. It involves exercise and training to help the stroke patient relearn everyday activities such as eating, drinking and swallowing, dressing, bathing, cooking, reading and writing, and toileting.

Occupational therapists are important members of the health care team working with people recovering from stroke. Occupational therapy services are available in many hospitals, rehabilitation centers and home health programs.

To find occupational therapy professionals in your community, you can contact the OT department at your local hospital. Occupational therapists work in partnership with the patient, carer and other healthcare and voluntary personnel at all stages from acute through to outpatient and community care.

They can help people return to their normal hobbies and leisure activities or to take up new ones, learn skills they might need to return to work, or overcome problems with memory or concentration. Occupational therapists also reduce the risk for the combined outcome of death, deterioration of ability, and dependency in personal activities.

A recent study concluded that patients who had received occupational therapy after a stroke were more independent in performing their personal activities of daily living and were more likely to maintain these abilities. The primary role of the occupational therapist is to assist their patients to have the maximum independence in as many areas of their life as possible.

Sackley's research centered on 118 residents in 12 care homes for older people in the UK. Using an evaluation tool known as the Barthel Index (which tests continence and abilities such as walking, eating, dressing, using stairs, getting in and out of chairs and bed, and so on) highlighted that even a small amount of  OT had a significant, quite large effect on the residents of a care home – they were detectably less likely to deteriorate in performing daily activities.

Therapy uses a range of techniques suited to different situations and disabilities. These may include learning to eat or dress with one hand, using memory aids such as lists or a diary, or practicing physical or mental skills through crafts and board games. Therapy usually starts with simple activities, then moves on to more complicated ones as the person progresses.