Occupational Therapy is a Powerful Rehabilitation Tool?

Occupational therapy, otherwise called ergotherapy is an integral part of the rehabilitation of patients with cerebral palsy. The goal of occupational therapy classes is the development of motor skills, especially the small motor functions of the upper limbs; adaptation to the conditions of existence of society; the formation of clothing and shoe skills, the use of appliances and tools, simple self-service.

 

Ergotherapy for cerebral palsy prevents the aggravation of functional disorders and helps to restore the vital functions of the body. During classes, the patient’s psyche and nervous system are adapted to his environment. A child’s awareness of himself as a part of society arises and consolidates. The desire of an individual to integrate into society is stimulated.

 

Systematic occupational therapy increases the patient’s independence in everyday life. With due persistence in the treatment of labor, it is possible to form a complete set of self-care skills and hygienic self-care for a patient with cerebral palsy.

 

The most important result of occupational therapy is training the patient to organize his own leisure. Children attending interesting and diverse occupations with ergotherapy create an aesthetic perception of the environment, and the pleasure of creative activity arises and reveals itself. In the future, the skills acquired during occupational therapy can become the basis for the professional orientation of a person.

 

Ergotherapy is a powerful factor in improving the quality of life of a patient with cerebral palsy, a tool for improving health, a weapon in the fight against functional disorders, and an effective method of rehabilitation of patients with neurological diseases.

 

Assertiveness training occupational therapy assessment is a medical study of the condition of a patient with cerebral palsy, the purpose of which is to determine the level of patient performance and the possible degree of restoration of vital functions. Occupational therapy assessment precedes the preparation of a treatment plan, and at the end of the course, it allows you to evaluate the results achieved, identify the advantages and disadvantages of the completed plan.

 

Assessing the condition of a patient with cerebral palsy includes:

 

• initial determination of the nature of the disorder of motor function;
• identification of the degree of functional impairment;
• setting goals regarding the effectiveness of rehabilitation procedures;
• choice of methods and treatment planning;
• regular monitoring of the patient’s condition and correction of the treatment plan in order to achieve the highest effect;
• study of the level of physical activity and the degree of improvement of the motor functions of the patient upon completion of the occupational therapeutic course;
• assessment of the general condition of the patient with cerebral palsy, preparation of recommendations for the future and the formation of an action plan for further rehabilitation of the child.

 

High reliability of the occupational therapeutic assessment is achieved by at least three-fold assessment of the patient’s condition – at the introductory stage of treatment, in the middle of the course and after its completion.

 

Training parents of a child with cerebral palsy

An important factor in the success of occupational therapeutic treatment of patients with cerebral palsy is the continuity of classes and the sequence of efforts in the development of motor functions of the body.

 

Since the child’s stay in the medical institution is limited in time, rehabilitation specialists at Bamboo.care consider it their duty to educate the patient’s parents on the methods and techniques of occupational therapy. Education of parents (or accompanying) of the patient is carried out during occupational therapy sessions with the child.

 

It is recommended to start occupational therapy under parental guidance as early as possible. In the preschool and early school age of the child, classes are conducted in a playful way. Simple fun games help children master the skills of self-dressing, using cutlery, and minimal self-care.

 

Older children are offered mastery of craft skills, needlework techniques and applied art. With sufficient development of fine motor skills of the upper limbs, attention should be paid to training in the use of household devices and appliances.

 

Continuity and constancy of home ergotherapy is the key to successful rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy.