Occupational Therapist

An Occupational Therapist works to enable and empower people to maintain abilities and remain independent in daily activities. This may involve looking at the life demands of the person with MS and finding ways to improve and/or compensate for any deficits relating to the symptoms of MS.

Every person with MS presents very differently so he/she has to be an active participant in their own individual treatment programme. The Occupational Therapist investigates solutions and may suggest possible alternative options to a treatment programme. Examples of problem areas may be difficulty holding a knife and fork or difficulty getting in or out of the bath.

The Occupational Therapist will work with the person with MS to set goals. Example of goals might be to improve function in daily living skills (dressing, washing) or increase coping skills by learning to plan activities in advance and allow for rest in between tasks.

Within the hospital setting, the Occupational Therapist works as part of the multi-disciplinary team. Due to the changing needs of the person with MS, ongoing reviews in rehabilitation are essential to provide the most appropriate treatment to the person with MS. This may entail reviews of the individual on both an inpatient and out-patient basis.

An integral component of the hospital Occupational Therapist's role is to liaise with the Community Occupational Therapist. The Community Occupational Therapist advises on practical aspects such as adaptations/alterations to the home or specialised equipment to maximise independence in addition to assisting in the application for the Disabled Person's Housing Adaptation Grant.