Five Occupational Therapy Services Providers Should Know About

  • Winter 2023
Doctor assessing patient's hand

In no particular order – these five “hidden gem” OT services can help people get back to their everyday activities that give their lives meaning and purpose.

Vision Therapy & Balance for Older Adults

You may be aware of the importance of vision therapy following a concussion or severe head injury, especially for young athletes. But did you know that even if a patient has 20/20 vision, they may still get dizzy and have issues with falls? For patients who have fallen, it’s always good to check their visual acuity, ocular range of motion and depth perception.

“As people age their eyes can lose the ability to focus together,” said Occupational Therapist Jamie Halvorson. “If the cerebellum and parietal lobes of the brain are no longer receiving accurate peripheral vision information, a person may not be able to appropriately adjust their posture and gait, resulting in a fall.”

Vision therapy from one of our trained OTs can help restore a patient’s stereoscopic vision. Therapy can focus on the ability of the eyes to work together, muscle function, the field of vision, balance, memory, learning and reading.

Pressure Mapping & Assessments for Any Surface

Pressure mapping is often associated with patients who have limited mobility that use wheelchairs. Finding the right cushion support can help prevent pressure ulcers and wounds from forming and facilitate healing. The same assessment techniques can also be used on any other surface a patient frequently sits or lies on.

“People with limited mobility maybe use a walker or a cane instead of wheelchair. Even though they can ambulate, they still may spend a good deal of time sitting or lying down,” said Occupational Therapist Samantha Drealan. “The length of time they spend in those positions combined with other possible risk factors increase their chance to develop pressure sores. We can do pressure mapping evaluation in the home on the patient’s own surface to determine what type of cushion they should have: gel, foam or air.”

Whether a patient sleeps in a recliner, lies on a couch or has constant pressure contact with any other surface, pressure mapping can determine the correct supportive surface to help them avoid painful skin breakdowns and facilitate healing.

Hand Therapy: the Earlier, the Better

Our human reliance on our hands for everyday activities plus the complex and delicate nature of them make our hands vulnerable to injury. Repetitive motion, inflammation, sprains and fractures can all cause hand pain.

“Don’t ignore or take a wait-and-see approach on hand pain,” said Occupational Therapist Sara Lutz. “Just because a patient’s hand looks fine on X-rays doesn’t mean something else isn’t happening to cause the hand pain. When a patient’s hand condition is treated in the early stages, they recover much, much more quickly than when the condition has been occurring for a prolonged period.”

Hand therapy can offer customized splinting or bracing to help immobilize an affected area and support the upper extremity. In addition therapists can offer treatments to reduce pain and improve tissue healing, edema management, scar tissue management and stretching and exercises to regain motion and improve upper extremity strength.

LSVT BIG for Parkinson’s Disease

LSVT BIG therapy is a researched-based exercise approach that empowers patients in the early to middle stages of Parkinson’s disease to move better. Research on the program has documented improved ratings on tests of motor function in Parkinson’s patients following treatment. Improvements includes faster walking because of bigger steps, improved balance and improved quality of fine and gross motor movements.

In addition, an occupational therapist trained in LSVT BIG therapy can use the techniques to help patients improve self-care abilities.

“We work with Parkinson’s patients on things such as dressing, showering and grooming,” said OT Jamie Halvorson. “We also can help them to improve or to continue their leisure activities.”

Treatment consists of 16 one-hour sessions, four consecutive weeks for four weeks, often in conjunction with physical therapy. Patients are also expected to practice daily exercises at home to maximize motor skill improvement.

Outpatient Home Safety Assessments

Our OTs often perform home safety assessments as a part of home health services, but did you know they can also be ordered on an outpatient basis?

“Home safety assessments are covered by Medicare. There are several diagnoses that can be used to qualify a patient for an outpatient home safety visit, including a recent fall, a newly diagnosed medical condition or even concerns from aging,” said OT Samantha Drealan.

During a home safety assessment an OT examines all aspects of a patient’s home to identify potential safety risks, fall hazards and accessibility issues. This includes exterior entrances and exits; interior doors, stairs and hallways; bathrooms; the kitchen, living and dining areas; bedrooms; laundry; basement and other spaces in the home. After assessing, an OT offers modifications, interventions or assistive devices to help a patient safely age-in-place in their home.

Refer a Patient

For more information:

Jamie Halvorson
Jamie Halvorson, OTD, MSOTR/L
​​​Occupational Therapist
(605) 696-8060
jhalvorson@brookingshealth.org

Samantha Drealan
Samantha Drealan, MSOTR/L
Occupational Therapist
(605) 696-8060
sdrealan@brookingshealth.org

Sara Lutz
Sara Lutz, MSOTR/L
Occupational Therapist
(605) 696-8060
srlutz@brookingshealth.org
Gavin Weber
Gavin Weber, DPT, ATC
Rehab Services Director
(605) 696-8061
gweber@brookingshealth.org

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