Occupational therapy offered by Veterans Memorial Hospital; Keeping you safe at home
VMH rehabilitation services ... April is National Occupational Therapy Month. Mary Christoffer of Lansing has been utilizing the Veterans Memorial Hospital rehabilitation services of occupational therapy, physical therapy and home health nursing since January, following a fall and hip fracture. She will soon be discharged from these services since she has progressed well and met all of her goals. She is pictured here with Amy Evanson, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant who travels to homes throughout the area, assisting with occupational therapy services. Submitted photo.
April is National Occupational Therapy Month. Occupational therapists work with patients to help them stay safe in their own home. They also help patients who have been hospitalized return to their homes by inspecting the home and encouraging modifications prior to the patient returning home.
Mary Christoffer of Lansing has been utilizing the Veterans Memorial Hospital rehabilitation services of occupational therapy, physical therapy and home health nursing since January, following a fall and hip fracture. She will soon be discharged from these services since she has progressed well and met all of her goals.
“I have worked with Mary two to three times a week, initially focusing on daily living tasks to get back to dressing and bathing independently while following her recommended hip precautions,” explains Amy Evanson, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, who traveled to Mary’s home. “Once she was able to put her full weight through her leg, we worked on higher level home management tasks such as laundry, cooking and pet cares. She made amazing progress and did so well at learning to adapt her tasks and utilize adaptive equipment in order for her to be able to complete these tasks safely once again.”
Veterans Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation is now able to offer more in-home occupational therapy care, thanks to the addition of Amy Evanson, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. Amy works closely with the Community and Home Care Department patients, providing patients assistance with the day-to-day tasks of living at home following an illness, injury or surgery, helping them regain function and independence.
“I had a lot of good advice and help. It was a pleasant experience working with the therapy gals. They were like family,” states Mary. “When I first started out with therapy, I couldn’t do much of anything, and now I can do almost everything even down to washing my bedding and making my bed.”
Occupational therapists ensure patients are safely capable to perform routine activities, such as dressing and cooking, before discharging them from their care.
“Mary demonstrated great progress from the beginning of her OT sessions to now the end. When we first started working with her, Mary required cues to complete stand pivot transfers safely and now she is able to complete all her daily tasks independently,” compliments Amy. “Mary can also complete her home management tasks independently. For example, she is now able to make her own meals, feed and water her dog and complete her own laundry. Mary was a very sweet patient to work with and it was so rewarding to see her progress towards achieving all her goals.”
Since Mary is much more independent, she will soon be discharged from in-home care to visiting the Rehabilitation department as an outpatient at Veterans Memorial Hospital. There she will continue with physical therapy to work on higher level balance activities as she transitions back to getting out into her community to play cards.
For more information about the Occupational Therapy services at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon, feel free to call 563-568-3411.
