How to Use Occupational Therapy to Rehabilitate a Stroke Victim

Occupational therapy is the name given to a type of long-term therapy used to help rehabilitate those who have had serious medical problems such as strokes. Occupational therapy focuses on helping the patient perform daily activities that may have become difficult to handle because of a medical condition. This can include everything from dressing one's self to being able to cook or bathe without the aid of a helper.

Instructions

Recognize the Benefits of Occupational Therapy

• 1

  Keep in mind that a stroke sufferer is 40 percent less likely to end up in an assisted-care home if she undergoes occupational therapy. Patients who do not follow through with therapy require major care and are often placed in care homes because the families are unable to look after them full time.

• 2

  Use occupational therapy as a way of regaining basic skills such as dressing, bathing, and using kitchen utensils. Some people require therapy to learn to walk again or to be able to sit and stand up from chairs.

• 3

  Make the patient feel like his old self as much as possible. Rehabilitation is important to help him overcome the frustration of not being able to do the basic tasks that were once done without a second thought.

• 4

  Wait for the right time. Occupational therapy should not be started until the survivor of a stroke is stabilized and out of the danger zone. Medical care should be the main focus for the first few weeks following a stroke.

• 5

  Use occupational therapy as an add-on to other types of therapy, including speech and physical. Learning to perform everyday tasks again will get easier as muscles get stronger and the person feels more confident communicating with others.

• 6

  Be an active participant. Family members and housemates in general become an essential part of occupational therapy, as they are the ones around the patient daily. Many therapists will enlist the help of those living with the repercussions of a stroke in order to make the process easier and quicker.