A week in the life of… a senior occupational therapist

Wednesday

I attend an occupational therapy (OT) assessment in Middleton Cheney for someone I recently assessed over the telephone. I’d ordered her a bath lift, so I attended to ensure it was appropriate for her needs.

When I arrived, the woman had used the bath lift in the morning and had had a nice soak. She was so happy. I also checked her stair transfers and I am ordering an additional mopstick handrail to be installed, so she can get up and down safely.

My next visit is in Brackley. The customer had a below-knee leg amputation due to circulatory problems. Having recently been discharged from hospital, he is staying with his daughter for a few weeks while his home is made safe and adapted to meet his needs. I am ordering him a bath board, a bath stool, a perching stool, a urination bottle and a suitcase ramp. This will help him access washing facilities and make certain activities easier and less stressful. 

I then go to Roade in Northamptonshire to assess an older customer in a ground-floor flat for a key safe. Her family would like access to the property if she has a fall or accident. I measure up for where one can go; she will have a key safe within a couple of weeks. 

The next visit is to a customer living in a second-floor apartment. Because of his disabilities, he can no longer access the lift and is struggling to use the communal stairs; he is practically housebound. He also requires a wet room to access safe bathing facilities. I change his relocations banding from low to high priority for a move. That same day, with help from the relocations team, we are able to offer him a ground-floor property more suited to his needs.

Thursday

I complete an assessment in Geddington, Corby, of a customer in her 50s, who had a stroke a number of years ago and is struggling to leave her property safely in her wheelchair. She is also struggling to get up and down the stairs, so is sleeping on the ground floor, meaning she has no access to her bathroom. She is using a commode for toileting and washing at the sink.

I refer her for major adaptations to gain safe access in and out of the property and for a stairlift so she can gain access to the upstairs of her property. This means she will have access to a wet room and a WC again. 

I make a few phone calls and carry out telephone assessments for next week’s home visits. I gather medical information, identify problem areas and have an idea of solutions to be considered when I attend the properties.

Friday

First things first, I check emails and answer any outstanding queries. It’s time for some admin tasks, too, so I complete all OT reports from this week’s visits and send all assessed customers care-plan letters.

I then have a coffee and a team-building catch-up with the surveyor for the accessibility team.

Then it’s time to update and check queues on Open Housing and check in with my occupational therapy assistant to ensure she has had a good working week and doesn’t have any issues she needs to discuss.