Aging In place
Aging in Place involves enhancing quality of life while allowing older adults to remain in their home environment. Aging in place also emphasizes maintaining a person’s autonomy and independence as much as possible while keeping safety as a top priority. Our team of occupational therapists specialize in not only assessing the home but the person’s ability to function safely within the home and activities in the community. We use a person-centered approach to design a plan that’s unique to each individual.
This is some of what we do:
Identify what activities are meaningful and enjoyable to a person
Assess and observe safety performing these daily activities, including identifying any cognitive or memory barriers that might affect safety
Make recommendations for modifications to the task such as adaptive equipment/tools in order to keep the person at the safest and most independent level possible.
Make recommendations for level of care/assistance. How much can the person do, and exactly what do they need assistance with?
Assess the home for safety concerns
Make recommendations for modifications to the home
Assess independence and safety outside the home/ in the community such as grocery shopping, running errands, medication management, money management
Falls Risk Assessment
Initial assessment
We begin with an initial assessment which is 2 hours. It will include an interview as well as active participation with the person in their home. Items assessed may include:
Bathing
Dressing
Simple snack prep (using microwave, opening packages, using knives safely)
Kitchen Safety (access to pots/pans, navigating to/reaching for commonly used items)
Bathroom Safety
Doing laundry (loading washer and dryer, carrying/transport to other area and putting away)
Caring for pets
Adequate Lighting in rooms, hallways, exterior
Mobility within the home
Getting in/out of bed, in/out of chairs and sofa, in/out of shower/tub, on/off toilet, stairs
Mobility and safety outside the home: walkways, driveway, yard/garden, stairs
For a more advanced assessment, a follow up visit may be scheduled. Some of the additional items that may be assessed include:
Advanced meal prep (using stove, oven, following multi-step instructions)
Medication Management
Bill Pay/Budgeting
Grocery List and meal prep planning
Participation in hobbies or activities outside the home
What’s Next
After the assessment your certified occupational therapist will make recommendations to the family for:
Modifications and adaptive equipment to make tasks safer and as independent as possible recommendations for home modifications
Recommendations for caregiver assistance with tasks
Recommendations for follow up visits if needed