Multiple Sclerosis and Occupational Therapy
Here’s Practical Information About Multiple Sclerosis Occupational Therapy And Rehabilitation
How can multiple sclerosis occupational therapy help you? In this article you’ll learn:
- What does a multiple sclerosis (MS) occupational therapy assessment involve
- How OT may help you reduce the impact of your multiple sclerosis at home and on your daily life.
- The common multiple sclerosis occupational therapy interventions you can access at OT Brisbane.
No doubt, you’re well aware that Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, life long, frequently progressive disease of the central nervous system which can affect a person significantly in their ability to walk, see, think and perhaps care for themselves.
The Role of Occupational Therapy In Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation
Occupational therapists are integral members of the MS healthcare team, working with patients and their families to develop and implement practical solutions to the challenges of everyday living with MS
Your neurological occupational therapist (OT) can help you tackle these changes in a positive manner and support your life journey with M.S.
Our OTs will work with you and your family to implement practical solutions to your real problems and frustrations which you’re experiencing in everyday life with MS at home, at work, where-ever.
All our neurological therapy programs start with a comprehensive assessment
What Does A Multiple Sclerosis Occupational Therapy Assessment Involve?
- Sensation, Movement, Autonomic (temperature regulation) Cognitive, Perceptual and Emotional changes associated with your multiple sclerosis experience
- The daily tasks you do or want to do
- The daily tasks you do or want to do
- The environment you do these task in
- The lifestyle choices you make
In short, the assessment builds a picture of you – The Person, The Tasks and The Environment including the People you connect with. This gives your therapist a view of what we call “Liveability”.
Liveability is a measure of your personal abilities to meet the demands of tasks or environment. Simply, as MS impacts your. mind or body, it can affect your “liveability” to do the tasks that matter to you.
What Are Occupational Therapy Activities To Help Reduce The Impact Of Your Multiple Sclerosis?
The results of occupational therapy assessment will help you and your therapist prioritise the therapy program activities.
MS occupational therapy activities offered at OT Brisbane may include:
- Rehabilitation: Improve and reclaim self care, dressing, bathing, walking skills as well as day to day activities such as meal preparation budgeting, household management and leisure tasks
- Managing Fatigue and Pain
- Managing FatiguePrescribe Assistive Technology: from the simple manual tools that make it easier to grasp items to more complex technology such as artificial intelligence tools and powered chairsand Pain
- Simplify Activities so that you can conserve your energy
- Reduce home hazards and improve ease of use through complex home modifications. This commonly includes bathroom modification
- Improve hand and upper limb function
- Improve thinking and memory skills and strategies
- Lifestyle modifications to help you move sleep, eat and connect with others which are vital for your wellbeing when living with MS.
In short, the assessment builds a picture of you – The Person, The Tasks and The Environment including the People you connect with. This gives your therapist a view of what we call “Liveability”.
Liveability is a measure of your personal abilities to meet the demands of tasks or environment. Simply, as MS impacts your. mind or body, it can affect your “liveability” to do the tasks that matter to you.
Multiple Sclerosis Occupational Therapy Interventions You Can Access At OT Brisbane
- Your Activities of Daily Living such as bathing dressing, eating and walking for example
- Important tasks about the home
- Activities that are meaningful for you
- Accessing your home, this may require assistive equipment or home modifications
- Sustaining a healthy lifestyle routine which supports your wellbeing.
Reasons Why You Might Choose Us
- Concerned about your ability to continue to do the activities which are important to you
- Experiencing difficulty doing everyday tasks efficiently or safely,
- Frustrated by how your home environment restricts your abilities to live independently
- Wanting to expand your possibilities of what you’re doing today. Perhaps you’ve a goal to try something for the first time and need help to figure it out. and want to improve in starting to do again or for the first time
- Looking to get on the right track with regards to your daily lifestyle habits
- Want to work with a NDIS provider
Whatever your situation what we do is provide:
- At Home, In Clinic or Tele-Therapy (Online) MS occupational therapy services
- A Neurological OT clinician who can be part of your accountability framework.
- Part of your team: We work with other clinicians physios, speech pathologists, your GP as a part of the team
- We’ve an expanding home modifications and neuro-rehabilitation service covering Brisbane and its surrounds
- A clinical team which is dedicated to bettering their Neurological Rehabilitation chops- always.
- Solutions which may cover practical tips to leading edge technology involving rehab equipment and or home independence aids
Working With People Living Neurological Conditions – That’s Our Passion
AND it’s our area of professional interest. It’s our thing and we always focus on helping you achieve your goals.
We know this can be hard as some people get frustrated with the “goal” language.
Making a start is what we suggest and then we build from there. We do this by providing you with a clinician, equipment and the intensity.
Rehab does require effort on both sides- we’ll not beat around this point.
Our rehabilitation program includes occupational therapy as well as other care and clinical teams as needed.
You can access neurological OT services such as:
- Upper extremity rehabilitation
- Assistance with activities of daily living
- Rehab technology and functional tech
- Home modifications- major and minor
- Cognitive driving assessment
- Cognitive and perception therapy
How Can We Help You?
Please fill out the short form below and tell us how can we best help you? One of our team members will reach out when it comes through.
Helpful MS Occupational Therapy Resources
- Bridging Theory to Practice: Occupational Therapy Interventions for Adults With Multiple Sclerosis. This American Journal of Occupational Therapy publication explores a case of Susan a women who experiences an exacerbation of multiple sclerosis (MS) and how her occupational therapist helped. You can read it here.
- Role of Occupational Therapy In Multiple Sclerosis: The National MS Society’s paper for occupational therapists. You can read it here
