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How Do You Get Discharged From Home Health Care Occupational Therapy?
Date Updated: December 5, 2024
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Sarah has produced thousands of articles in diverse niches over her decade-long career as a full-time freelance writer. This includes substantial content in the fields of senior care and health care. She has experience writing about wide-ranging topics, such as types of care, care costs, funding options, state Medicaid programs and senior resources.
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Dr. Brindusa Vanta is a health care professional, researcher, and an experienced medical writer (2000+ articles published online and several medical ebooks). She received her MD degree from “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine, Romania, and her HD diploma from OCHM – Toronto, Canada.
You get discharged from home health care occupational therapy when you fulfill agency discharge criteria, typically when your occupational therapist assesses you as having met your therapy goals. Discharge also accounts for your wishes, and therapists often create ongoing plans for you to follow.
Overview of Home Health Care Occupational Therapy
Home health care occupational therapy benefits seniors in wide-ranging situations, including after a surgical procedure, illness or injury. Therapists visit seniors in their private residences and use their everyday environment to help them develop the necessary skills to live safely, navigate their surroundings and perform essential daily tasks. The goal is to enable therapy participants to regain and maintain abilities to live as independently as possible and enjoy a higher quality of life. Professionals also recommend home adaptations and assistive technology.
Examples of skills that occupational therapists assess include:
- Preparing meals
- Getting dressed
- Conversing with others
- Tying shoelaces
- Using cutlery
- Going shopping
- Brushing teeth
Occupational Therapy Discharge Process
Agencies often set their own discharge criteria while also considering occupational therapist recommendations. Before starting therapy, medical professionals develop personalized care plans that include specific functional targets, such as increasing mobility and improving life skills. Occupational therapists regularly consider care plan goals while reviewing individuals’ progress. When seniors can function independently or with minimal assistance, have reached their maximum capability and have developed the skills to live safely and complete tasks effectively, therapists often recommend discharging them.
Therapists consider individuals’ confidence levels when deciding the best time to discontinue therapy. However, they arrange follow-up appointments and provide exercises for individual maintenance routines. The discharge process also ensures that individuals have the necessary support, such as home care, in place, and therapists often signpost seniors to beneficial community organizations. The final stage of discharging someone from home health occupational therapy is a meeting and the completion of the relevant paperwork.