This is my first blog for Links Therapy Company. I thought it may help show some of the variety in my work. All names have been changed and they are examples of some of the things I help with.
Independence and routine at work
I attended a meeting at Ellie’s place of work today. Ellie was off work for over a year due to a period of illness and is finding it difficult to get back into her routine at work since returning. I am working alongside psychology, Ellie’s manager and an HR representative, as well as Ellie and her mother, to gain an understanding of her needs and what the barriers to her engaging in her job role are at present. Ellie has gone back to work on a phased return, and is currently doing two short days, which she has never done before. The psychologist and I have ascertained that this is totally out of routine as Ellie has always worked part time, and that this may be contributing to her current difficulties, which include being easily distractible and not being able to complete tasks in the allocated time. As Ellie had never done short days prior to this and has been in her job for many years, it was proving difficult for her to solidify this as her routine.
Ellie’s manager showed me the job list expected of Ellie, which has also been provided to her and discussed verbally with Ellie on numerous occasions. The job list was very wordy, and not accessible for Ellie who was struggling to follow this. As a first port of call, I worked with Ellie to develop an easy read checklist that she could use at work, which is comprised of much less words, and pictures to guide her through the jobs she needed to do on a daily basis.
I have talked to Ellie’s employers about the Accessible Information Standard, which aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss get information that they can access and understand (NHS England n.d). We have also discussed the legal requirements for an employer in relation to reasonable adjustments for individuals with a disability, to ensure that they have every opportunity to flourish in their role (GOV.UK 2018). Ellie’s employer has asked for some more information to be provided about Ellie’s needs in relation to reasonable adjustments. Ellie has been referred to speech and language therapy for a comprehensive assessment of her communication needs and information processing skills, as this will help us to have an understanding of any reasonable adjustments needed.
Sensory Assessment
Today I did an initial visit with Mike. Mike was referred to Occupational Therapy due to potential sensory seeking behaviours, such as biting his hand and hitting his face. I met with Mike, an individual with a profound and multiple learning disability, for the first time at his home. I took along a box of sensory items, and introduced myself to Mike and put the box near where he was sitting to see if he showed any interest in the items. I explained who I was and why I had come to visit him today. I showed Mike several sensory items, such as a massage ‘snake’, bells, cotton wool, light stick and a rain maker among many other items. Mike seemed to respond well to tactile items and also took a lot of items to his mouth, which gave me some idea of his sensory preferences. I then asked Mike if it was okay to ask the support workers some questions about what he likes and doesn’t like. I then completed a sensory profile assessment with Mike and two support staff that know him well, which gave me a comprehensive overview of his sensory needs and preferences, in order for me to make any recommendations going forward to try and reduce any incidents of self harm.
Cooking Skills
Today I saw a married couple, Kate and William, in order to support them to develop their cooking skills, as they are both underweight and have limited diets. Our work together has involved me doing a cooking assessment which has allowed me to identify areas where they had some difficulties. For example, Kate was having difficulties with lifting heavy pans of water, so I put some simple cooking baskets in to place which allowed her to lift the pasta out of the pan without the water. Kate and William also benefitted from a kettle tipper and an electric can opener, as arthritis made these tasks difficult. The main barrier that I identified was lack of confidence in using the oven and cooker, and in particular a fear that they would hurt themselves. Through regular work on developing their cooking skills around meals they both identified they’d like to be able to make, they began to develop the skills and confidence to cook independently and increase their weight and nutrient intake. We have developed easy read recipes for the chosen meals, and easy read guidelines around using their microwave and timer, and they are now using their microwave independently, and their cooker through the use of these guidelines. Today was the first time I was told I was not needed as they had already made their meal. The words all OT’s want to hear!
