The Role of the Community Occupational Therapist

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1 Ceredigion Conty Concil Social Services Department The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist...taking care to make a difference

2 Large Print or other format/medim are available on reqest please telephone or Minicom or Contact Centre Office Hors: Monday - Thrsday: 8.45 a.m p.m. Friday: 8.45 a.m p.m. Yo can find information abot services provided by Ceredigion Conty Concil on or website at: Printed Janary 2006

3 The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist Aims of the Service: To enable people with physical disabilities to be as independent and as safe as possible in their own home. To promote a physically disabled person s qality of life and that of their carers. To spport the physically disabled person s carer and enable them to contine in their carer s role. What do Commnity Occpational Therapists do? The staff of the Commnity Occpational Therapy Service work with Adlts who are sbstantially and permanently physically disabled. They carry ot practical assessments of people s ability to carry ot normal activities of daily living: this cold inclde personal care, hosehold tasks, ability to care and be cared for, and to live safely in their own home. Following the assessment, the Occpational Therapy staff may give advice, arrange eqipment or recommend alterations to the home. Some of the more common tasks they may do are detailed overleaf. They may also refer people to other professionals sch as Physiotherapists, Speech and Langage therapists, specialist Nrses, etc. Again the aim wold be to help people make the most of their abilities, and work with them to find soltions to the problems that limit their ability to be independent. The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist 1

4 Commnity Occpational Therapists can advise and recommend on the following: Easier and safer ways of managing everyday activities i.e. washing, dressing, hosehold tasks and activities. Arrange for the loan of special eqipment and its safe se. Adapting a person s home to sit their needs. Advising and arranging for manal wheelchairs from NHS wheelchair service and specialised seating Assessing and make recommendations for grant assistance for home adaptations for Disabled Facilities Grants and other grants (sbject to availability). Offer an Assessment of Carer s needs and provide appropriate advice as reqired Advise on re-hosing where appropriate. Commonly Asked Qestions How do I reqest an assessment? Yo, or someone calling on yor behalf (friend, family member, carer, etc), with yor permission, will need to telephone or Contact Centre on Contact Centre Team: The Contact Officers will take detailed information from yo. (This is called a Contact Enqiry). Details will inclde yor name, address, telephone nmber, date of birth, GP, Ethnic Origin, Religion, what yor health isses are and what activities yo are finding difficlt, (fll details described in the 2 The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist

5 How to access or Services Information Leaflet). If yo contact the Department on behalf of someone else, it is very important that they are aware of this, and that yo get their fll permission before yo telephone s. The Contact Team will ask yo to confirm this. What will happen next? Once the information has been taken, and if it appears likely that yo wold benefit from an assessment, if yor needs reqire Occpational Therapy intervention, yor reqest will be passed to the Commnity Occpational Therapy and Sensory Spport Services Team. Usally the details taken dring the Contact Enqiry will give s sfficient information abot yor degree of priority needs, bt or Occpational Therapy staff may also make frther enqiries to clarify this, for example, by contacting yor GP, with yor permission, for more information abot yor health. We will then confirm yor priority needs (fll details described in the Eligibility Criteria booklet) and write to yo to let yo know abot this. When will I be seen? As there is a high demand for Commnity Occpational Therapy services we are not always able to see everyone immediately following the Contact Enqiry, and a waiting list is in operation. It is important for s to ensre that we see the people with the greatest need first. Therefore, waiting list times may flctate. Depending on resorces and the demand for services, we wold aim to see people as follows: The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist 3

6 Critical Needs - Immediate response Sbstantial Needs - Within 3 months Moderate Needs - Within 6 months What if things get worse for me while I am waiting to be seen? If yo feel that there is additional information that was not taken on yor Contact Enqiry or if yor condition changes while yo are waiting for yor specialist Occpational Therapy assessment, yo can telephone or Contact Centre to pdate s with information on: Who will be working with me? When we have allocated an Occpational Therapy staff member to yo, we will write to tell yo the person s name and to advise yo that they will be in contact with yo to arrange a convenient time for the assessment to take place. Yo will also be sent or information booklet Preparing for an Assessment. What will the Occpational Therapy assessment be like? Commnity Occpational Therapy assessments normally take place in yor own home. Yo may be asked to show the Occpational Therapy staff the rooms in yor home that yo normally se, and to demonstrate particlar activities that yo are finding difficlt. 4 The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist

7 If yor carer helps yo with any tasks it is important that yo tell or Occpational Therapy staff abot this. Yo may also be asked to try special eqipment to help overcome these difficlties. What if I need eqipment in my home? Basic eqipment like booster toilet seats, bed and chair raisers, shower seats and stools are held in stock at or Commnity Eqipment Stores and are available on long term loan. Or Occpational Therapy staff will order these for yo and they will be delivered to yor home normally within one working week. There is no charge for them. When yo no longer need them, yo can ring the Commnity Eqipment Stores and they will come and collect them from yor home. Also if the eqipment needs replacing for any reason yo can contact the Stores. The Commnity Eqipment Stores telephone nmber is: (fll details described in or Commnity Eqipment Service leaflet). What if I need special eqipment? If yo need very specialised eqipment, the Occpational Therapy staff can assess and arrange for this, althogh this may take longer if it is ordered especially for yo from the spplier. Even if we are not able to provide yo with certain eqipment, or staff can help yo by providing yo with information abot where to obtain this privately or by writing spporting The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist 5

8 letters for yo to apply for a Commnity Care grant/loan or for charitable help, if appropriate. We do not provide Standard Commodes, or Wheelchairs, bt the Red Cross may be able to help yo if yo need these on short-term loan. Also we do not spply ordinary beds, chairs or walking aids. If yo need eqipment for yor nrsing care needs, sch as a special profiling bed (a bed that adjsts flly and can be raised p and down so that yo can be nrsed), this will be arranged by yor District Nrse, with spport from the Occpational Therapy staff. What if my home needs altering? The Occpational Therapy staff can advise yo abot appropriate alterations to make to yor home sitable for yor needs. They may also make recommendations for yo to apply for grant aid to help with the cost of altering yor home, this may reqire a means test. The Department of Environmental Services and Hosing has a dty to conslt Social Services on the hosing needs of people applying for Disabled Facilities Grants. This is to ascertain whether the work is necessary and appropriate. However, it is the Department of Environmental Services and Hosing who decide what action shold be taken as a reslt of or advice and also whether or not the application is approved. They also have a dty to ensre that it is reasonable and practical to carry ot the works, and will take into consideration the age and condition of the property in reaching this decision - ask for the leaflet Hosing Assistance for Repairs, Improvements and Adaptations in 6 The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist

9 Ceredigion by telephoning: How do the Occpational Therapist staff advise me what is needed? The Occpational Therapy staff consider the following when assessing for hose adaptations: The essential medical and physical needs of the person The proposed soltion is actally needed and considered essential The most modest and cost effective way to solve the problem. This is to ensre that the Athority are able to target resorces to as many people as possible, and to those in the greatest need. In certain circmstances, alternative hosing rather than adaptations may be the only viable soltion. The person s crrent and ftre needs, to make sre that the person is able to remain in their own home. The strengths and needs of the person s carer. The Occpational Therapy staff will work with yo and yor family/carer to find a soltion that will meet yor needs. In some cases where technical advice is needed, staff may ask a Technical Officer from either the Department of Environmental Services and Hosing, or Care and Repair, or yor own Architect or Agent to visit. The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist 7

10 If I need grant help what happens then? Once the Occpational Therapist has made the recommendations for yo to have grant aid, they will send yo a written smmary of the works they have sggested. The details will be sent to the Department of Environmental Services and Hosing for them to consider the application and it is they who will advise yo if the grant is approved. However, the progress of the work will be overseen by the Agent that yo chose to assist yo. This means that if yo have any qeries abot how the grant is progressing yo shold make yor enqiries to them. The phone nmbers are as follows: Care and Repair Partnerships (Department of Environmental Services and Hosing) It is important that yo contact yor Agent as they are in the best position to track yor application. If yo contact yor Occpational Therapy staff, they will not be able to answer yor enqiry, and it will take valable time away from seeing other clients. The Social Services Occpational Therapy Staff CANNOT spport applications for: Problems cased by overcrowding or other hosing needs Repairs to properties Extra means of heating or change of heating on their own 8 The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist

11 Alterations to vehicles and the provision of car seats. Eqipment that is for the person s health treatment needs, sch as standing frames, wedges, etc. Eqipment that is needed on a short-term basis on retrn from Hospital. This shold be provided by the Hospital Trst as they have responsibility for the safe discharge of patients to their own homes. Adaptations to the wider environment i.e. pavement, street, estate access, parking areas, etc. Ceredigion Conty Concil wholeheartedly spports the principle of eqality and recognises the importance of fair access and actively promotes eqality of opportnity for all service sers and carers. Advocacy Service We are in the process of developing Advocacy Services for Adlt Services, and there is an Advocacy Service available for Children s Services. Where possible, we will arrange for someone to help yo pt yor point across in yor dealings with s if yo are not able to do this yorself and don t have family or friends to help yo. In relation to Adlt Services, Eich Dewis Chi offers an Advocacy Service for: People who have Mental Health problems, People who have a Learning Disability, Older People with Mental Health problems and Vlnerable Adlts The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist 9

12 In relation to Children s Services the NSPCC offers an Advocacy Service for: Looked After Children; Care Leavers; Disabled Children and Children in Need who wish to make a complaint. The NSPCC Freephone telephone nmber is: Information Sharing and Confidentiality Any information that yo give s will be kept safe and confidential. We will not disclose yor information to anyone not involved in yor care withot yor consent (nless we are obliged to do so by law or there are exceptional circmstances, sch as risk to yor safety and/or the safety of others). Representations/Complaints/Comments If yo are nhappy abot any of or services, or abot the way yo have been treated, yo shold initially discss this with the Team Manager of the Team yo have had contact with. We hope that the problem can be resolved at this stage. If however yo are still nhappy, yo can take the matter frther by making a formal complaint. Ceredigion Social Services Department has a complaints procedre. 10 The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist

13 If yo think we have done something well, yo can also tell s. For Social Services Department ask for Are we getting it right? Do yo have any Comments, Complaints or Compliments? leaflet. Emergencies If yo need rgent help otside the opening times of the Contact Centre (as stated on the inside cover of this leaflet), please contact or Ot of Hors Emergency Team on: Other leaflets detailing the different services offered by Ceredigion Social Services are available on reqest from the Contact Centre. For frther information please telephone: The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist 11

14 Service Statement Ceredigion Conty Concil Commnity Occpational Therapy and Sensory Spport Services (COTSSS) will offer spport to residents of Ceredigion in maximising their independence, secrity and well being, wherever possible, within their own commnity. In doing this the COTSSS will seek to promote the cost effective se of the individal s own resorces, those of the Conty Concil and those of the wider commnity. Where appropriate, COTSSS will work with colleages in other stattory, volntary or independent sector organisations to achieve these otcomes. Independence The ability of an individal adlt to make decisions for him or herself in relation to personal, family or wider social isses. Secrity The freedom of the individal adlt from nlawfl acts of abse, harassment, discrimination or maltreatment. Well-being Having eqal access to the basic essentials of life, i.e. adeqate hosing, food, income, employment, Health and Social Services and leisre opportnities. 12 The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist

15 We wold welcome any comments yo have with regard to the content and layot of this leaflet and/or the service yo have received. Yor views are important so that we can monitor and improve the qality as reqired. Please cold yo take time to complete the following: Name: Address: Tel. No: Date:.... Leaflet received from: My compliment or complaint: (Please contine on a separate page if yo need to) Send this page to: Social Services Department HQ, Minaeron, Vicarage Hill, Aberaeron, SA46 0DY. Thank yo for yor comments $ The Role of the Commnity Occpational Therapist 13

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