Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is about helping a person to stay as independent as possible and to cope with the way their illness affects everyday life.  The Hospice wants you to stay as well as you can and remain in your own home but sometimes that does mean that a few assessments and adjustments have to be made to enable you to remain independent and safe.  This support is carried out by a range of professionals, in particular, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy.

Occupational Therapy

A lot of people assume that rehabilitation is just about equipment, for example a bath lift or zimmer frame, however professionals involved in rehabilitation use a whole variety of skills to encourage independence.

Occupational Therapy (OT) is concerned with how an individual carries out their day to day activities, such as earning a living, personal care or leisure and social activities.  They may provide equipment, however they will also advise about different ways of doing things and other ways of coping, for example dealing with tiredness or fatigue.

Occupational Therapy can provide individual help or run courses for small groups to help patients with, for example, body image problems, fatigue management, breathlessness, anxiety and relaxation. The aim is always to promote independence.

 

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy looks at ways of addressing physical problems affecting day to day living such as weak muscles or breathing problems.  This may include ‘hands on’ therapy and advice on exercise, positioning, breathing techniques or moving and handling.

Like OT, Physiotherapy’s aim is to promote and maintain your independence.  Much of the help will be to assist your carers to help you and this can reduce much of the anxiety felt by carers, afraid that they are doing the wrong thing.

The physiotherapist can help pain relief through the use of TENS**, massage, positioning, use of heat and cold and provision of neck collars and splints and they can assist with the management of lymphoedema (swelling of arms/legs).

** commercially available equipment for pain relief