Occupational Therapy

Medical conditions relating to the aging process can lead to changes in your daily activities and function levels. Our outpatient occupational therapists work with older adults who are experiencing these changes. We evaluate and treat patients for a number of age-related changes in functional abilities, such as:

• Activities of daily living, including self-care, home skills, and community skills
• Cognitive (thinking) impairments, including problems with memory, attention, or problem-solving
• Coordination and movement disorders
• Home safety needs
• Visual and perceptual impairments that affect your daily tasks

Depending on your unique needs, interests, and goals, your occupational therapy may focus on restoring lost abilities or teaching you how to use adaptive equipment and techniques to maximize your engagement in everyday activities and enhance your quality of life. We will also work closely with your family members, caregivers, and referring doctor as appropriate to ensure your care is effective and consistent both in our clinic and at home.

If you, your doctor, or your loved ones have concerns about whether your medical condition is affecting your ability to drive, we are here to help. Please call us at 617-243-6172 or email us at drivesafe@partners.org for more information.

The program consists of two evaluations

The Drive Safe Program includes a clinical assessment, which one of our occupational therapists will conduct in our clinic. During your clinical assessment, we will test the physical, cognitive (thinking), and visual skills you need to drive. We’ll also review the rules of the road and your knowledge of driving safety.

If you demonstrate the underlying skills and knowledge of safe driving, you will proceed to an on-road assessment with a licensed driving instructor in a specially equipped vehicle. This assessment will test your performance in real traffic situations. Both your clinical assessment and your on-road assessment will factor into the determination of your fitness to drive.

The Drive Safe Program also includes several educational components for you, your loved ones, and caregivers. We’ll provide information on the following:

• Community resources for adults who no longer can drive safely
• Driving with specific medical conditions
• Planning for the future

Reasons to enroll in our program

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among adults 65 to 74 and the second-leading cause, after falls, among adults 75 to 84. You may benefit from our Drive Safe Program if you hold or have previously held a driver’s license and are experiencing changes due to the following conditions:

• Aging
• Declining vision
• Decreased strength
• Medical conditions
• Medication usage
• Neurological incidents
• Slowed reaction times
• Stiff joints
• Surgery
• Trauma

Tips for safe driving

Safety should always be your top priority whenever you get behind the wheel of a car. Follow these tips to help protect yourself and others out on the road:

• Adjust the driver’s seat so that your chest is 10 inches or more from the steering wheel.
• Adjust your sitting posture by moving the steering wheel, adjusting your seat, or sitting on a cushion to get your eyes at least three inches higher than the top of the steering wheel.
• Always adjust your side-view mirrors to minimize the “blind spot” in the rear of the vehicle.
• If left turns are a problem, try planning a route with more right turns, and minimize or eliminate left turns.
• If busy road traffic presents a problem, try planning an outing during quieter times, such as the middle of the day on a weekday.
• When you start taking a new medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist about side effects. Many medications may affect your driving even when you feel fine. If your medication makes you dizzy or drowsy, talk to your doctor to find out ways to take your medicine so it doesn’t affect your driving.

Our outpatient occupational therapists work with adults with a variety of neurological conditions, including:

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease)
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Stroke

Our adult therapists can evaluate and treat your limitations that result from neurological conditions, such as:

• Activities of daily living, including self-care, home skills, and community skills
• Cognitive (thinking) impairments, including problems with memory, attention, or problem-solving
• Energy conservation and fatigue management
• Upper-limb sensory, motor, and coordination disorders
• Visual and perceptual impairments that affect your daily tasks

Depending on your needs, interests, and goals, your occupational therapy may focus on restoring lost abilities or teaching you how to use adaptive equipment and techniques to maximize your engagement in everyday activities and enhance your quality of life.

We work closely with our colleagues in physical therapy and speech-language pathology as needed to ensure that you receive the best care possible. We encourage your family members and caregivers to participate in your therapy as well.

We also offer neurological rehabilitation on an inpatient basis for patients who are staying in Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Our inpatient occupational therapists can provide neurological rehabilitation care during your inpatient stay. They can evaluate and treat your limitations that result from these and other neurological diagnoses, such as:

• Activities of daily living, including basic self-care
• Cognitive (thinking) impairments, including problems with memory, attention, or judgment/safety
• Home safety needs
• Upper-limb sensory, motor, and coordination disorders
• Visual and perceptual impairments that affect your daily tasks

Depending on your needs and interests, your occupational therapy may focus on restoring lost abilities or teaching you how to use adaptive equipment and techniques to maximize your engagement in everyday activities and enhance your quality of life. When appropriate, we can refer you to continued occupational therapy services to ensure your continued recovery and improved function after your discharge from the hospital. We encourage your family members and caregivers to participate in your therapy as well.

Our occupational therapists are members of Newton-Wellesley Hospital’s Stroke Team. In that role, we work with the following professionals to address the needs of patients and loved ones after a stroke:

• Doctors
• Physical therapists
• Speech therapists
• Nurses
• Case managers

Our inpatient service hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Our inpatient occupational therapists work with adults who have experienced a change in functional abilities when admitted to our medical/surgical floors. Patient diagnoses may include:

• Acute infections
• Cancer
• Dementia/delirium
• Gastric bypass surgery
• Heart or lung disorders
• Surgical interventions

Occupational therapy during your hospital stay

Our inpatient therapists evaluate and treat functional limitations and needs related to:

• Activities of daily living, including self-care and home-management skills
• Cognitive (thinking) impairments, including problems with memory, attention, or judgment/safety
• Home safety needs
• Improving your mobility and teaching you how to move around safely in your normal environment (e.g., in and out of bed or the bathtub, on and off of chairs, etc.)
• Recommendations and training in the use of equipment to help you complete your usual tasks
• Upper-limb exercise programs
• Visual and perceptual impairments that affect your daily tasks

Education for both you and your loved ones is a critical component of occupational therapy. Family/caregiver involvement is particularly important in our Therapeutic Activities Program for individuals with dementia who are at risk for delirium. Research has shown that therapeutic activities can be effective in reducing the incidence and severity of delirium in acute-care settings.

Our occupational therapists also play an important role in assisting with discharge planning needs. When appropriate, we can refer you to continued occupational therapy services to ensure your continued recovery and improved function after your discharge from the hospital.

Our inpatient service hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Our inpatient occupational therapists will evaluate your functional limitations and needs following your orthopedic surgery, and then we will work with you to create a personalized treatment plan to address those needs. Your treatment plan may include:

• Addressing your home safety needs
• Helping you learn how to complete the activities of daily life, such as taking care of yourself, getting around in the community, etc.
• Improving your mobility and teaching you how to move around safely in your normal environment (e.g., in and out of bed or the bathtub, on and off of chairs, etc.)
• Providing recommendations and training in the use of equipment to help you adapt to functional changes
• Working with you on upper-limb exercise programs

Education for both you and your loved ones is a critical component of occupational therapy. Depending on your unique needs and interests, your occupational therapist may focus on training you to use adaptive equipment and techniques to help you maximize your ability to participate in everyday activities after your surgery.

When appropriate, we will refer you to continued occupational therapy services to ensure your continued recovery and improved function after your discharge from the hospital.

Our inpatient service hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If your baby has been born prematurely or with certain medical conditions, he or she may need advanced care in our Special Care Nursery. As part of the many services available to your newborn in the Special Care Nursery, our pediatric occupational therapist will work closely with you, as well as nurses, physical therapists, and your baby’s doctors, to help care for your baby.

Special care nursery

During your newborn’s initial evaluation, we will assess his or her unique needs and how they apply to the developmental milestones of infancy. We use this information to support both you and your baby during your baby’s stay in the Special Care Nursery. Occupational therapy can benefit your newborn in many areas, including:

• Cognitive (thinking) development
• Feeding
• Muscle and bone development
• Parent-infant interaction and bonding
• Sensory regulation
• Visual attention and tracking

Parent education is a key component of your baby’s occupational therapy. We will focus on a number of critical factors, such as:

• Developmental care
• Feeding needs
• Infant massage
• Managing your baby’s needs alongside those of other children at home

We regularly refer families to early intervention programs in our area. This ensures you and your family have the ongoing support you need for your baby’s development and can help you when it’s time for your new baby to come home.