Occupational therapist Deneen Ford
A day in the life of occupational therapist Deneen Ford, who works as an occupational therapist at the Perry Tree Centre and is responsible for helping patients who are admitted to the centre with any mental, physical or social difficulties they may have.
It’s 8:30am and Deneen is beginning her shift at the Perry Tree Centre in Kingstanding, which offers intermediate care (rehabilitation) services to its patients.
Her first job is to run through her schedule and speak to the nurse in charge to get updates on the five patients she will be visiting that day.
Her first stop is with a patient who has been at the centre for two weeks. The patient was brought in after a bad fall in which she fractured her arm and hip. As a result of the fall she now has difficulty in standing and needs the assistance of a rollator frame.
Deneen has already completed an initial assessment with the patient to determine her level of independence, and identified any additional equipment or help she may need in completing day to day tasks. They agree goals, such as making a cup of tea or preparing breakfast, and work together to achieve them whilst at the centre.
During this assessment it was highlighted that the patients bed was too high when compared to the height of her bed at home.
It is important for Deneen to adjust furniture appropriately to replicate as much as possible that of the patient’s home. Patients are then able to practise performing simple day to day tasks in an environment very similar to their own home.
Deneen said: “It is useful to ask the patient how they usually carry out an activity such as getting up from a chair, out of bed, or getting dressed. We can then observe how they manage with these day to day activities, and work out what assistance we can provide them to make these tasks much more manageable.”
As part of her assessment the patient decided that she would like to practise making a cup of tea by herself. Deneen observes the patient performing the task in the kitchen area at the centre, and provides support where needed.
Deneen says: “These exercises are very common at the centre and give patients the opportunity to practice their day to day activities. They often highlight where we can provide additional support such as equipment.
“During the activity with Eileen we found that she would benefit from having a walking trolley to transport her food and drink around her home. We are now able to order this for her ready for when she is discharged.”
Deneen performs similar visits to other patients throughout the day before attending a handover meeting with centre nurses, social workers, and physiotherapists at 2pm. In the meeting she discusses the day’s events and provides progress updates and recommendations on her patients. It’s 4pm and just enough time to finish off any patient notes before leaving to go home.
