Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is prescribed for patients with a wide variety of conditions. One area is injured workers who must regain strength and skill to return to work or to learn new job skills. It is also prescribed for patients who have had a stroke, head or spinal cord injury. The therapies may include increasing strength and range after the injury and daily basic life skills in bathing, cooking, driving, and other activities of daily living. This type of therapy is also beneficial to children who are developmentally delayed and for patients with hand and arm injuries or corrective surgeries. Fine motor skills, as in handwriting, is also an area where the OT staff work to improve a child’s functional ability to keep up with his classmates.
Occupational therapists work to assist patients to learn or relearn “occupations” important to each individual. These occupations may include various activities such as play, handwriting, completing a work task, or getting dressed. The patients may be of any age, from infants to geriatrics.
Children are referred to OT with diagnoses such as developmental delay, cerebral palsy, or neurological disorders. Four of our HVCH occupational therapy staff work with 100 children in the Logan-Hocking School District, teaching gross and fine motor skills. The staff also trains teachers to apply techniques to enhance visual and motor skills in the classroom and improve handwriting with the “Handwriting Without Tears” program.
Adolescent and adult outpatients are referred to OT with diagnoses such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, crush injuries, and stroke. OTs work with these patients to restore upper extremity and hand function to allow easier completion of daily tasks.
Inpatient Rehabilitation Services
Inpatients on our Medical-Surgical Unit and in the Skilled Nursing Facility are instructed in adaptive techniques and the use of adaptive equipment to increase ease, safety, and independence in completing bathing, dressing, and home management tasks in preparation for returning home. Our new rehabilitation center has a full kitchen that can be useful in teaching patients to complete common household tasks safely and effectively.
If you are in need of a more extensive rehabilitation program, learn more about our Inpatient Rehabilitation Services which are provided in the Swing Bed Unit.
