OT in the Community

Carley Jackson-Dart has been a community occupational therapist for Sunderland City Council for three and a half years. Here she explains the fast-paced nature of her role and why she loves the variety that comes with being a community occupational therapist

Iwork with children and adults who have physical health problems, learning disabilities and mental health problems, supporting them to achieve safe and independent community living. I spend time in a variety of settings including domestic dwellings, residential and nursing homes, hospitals, short break care placements and day services. I provide a therapeutic response in planned and unplanned situations, often supporting customers who are experiencing a crisis that could result in a hospital admission without my immediate intervention. My role requires me to work closely with other professionals including physiotherapists, social workers, community nurses, GPs, practise nurses, home care providers and care teams in residential and nursing care settings. I have also had to develop my knowledge of complex equipment including specialist seating, beds, bathing and toileting equipment and this has helped me to become skilled in assessing and developing plans to support personal manual handling. When I meet a new customer, I work in partnership with them to establish the problems they feel are impacting their ability to achieve independence and look for solutions that will enable them to achieve the goals they identify for themselves. I also work closely with buildings surveyors in our Home Improvement Agency and develop plans to support the structural alteration of property or provision of fixed mechanical equipment. As a community occupational therapist, I have to have an excellent working knowledge of the Disabled Facilities Grant legislation and how to apply this to facilitate the provision of extensions to property, stairlifts, hoisting equipment etc. This knowledge ensures I can advocate effectively on behalf of my patients.

UTILISING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY IN THE COMMUNITY

Recently we have begun working with assistive technology, learning how to apply high street technology to promote independence, safety and dignity, reducing the necessity for formal services and reducing the strain on informal carers. My colleagues and I continue to develop our expertise in this area, working closely with our Assistive Technology Team to explore the possibilities. This can see simple changes making a big difference. One customer, who lived alone, was set up with equipment to maintain his independence including a stairlift. However, frequent falls continued. Further assessment uncovered that this was because he was unable to switch on the lights at the top of the stairs, and was trying to mobilise in the dark. Working with the Assistive Technology Team I arranged for sensors to be installed so that at certain times of the day when the sensors were triggered, the landing light would turn on. He could also control this and his bedroom light from an Amazon Alexa that we set up at the side of the bed. The customer reported feeling safer at home at night as a result of the assistive technology, which was a great outcome. The fast pace and variety associated with my role keeps me interested and focused. I value the opportunity to work with people in their own home environment, where they are more relaxed and engaged in the occupational therapy process. No two days are the same and on any given day I can find myself going from working with a newborn baby to, an older person in their centenary years. I love working as part of a team; generating ideas together, sharing our knowledge and experiences for the benefit of our patients. I also love the autonomy of my role and the ability to research new solutions and continually pursue innovation in the landscape of equipment and technology with the aim of creating tailored solutions. Our service has created an environment where practitioners are actively encouraged to try new ways of working. The greatest challenge associated with my role is the requirement to be flexible and prepared to reshape my day to cater for the unexpected. I continually develop my prioritisation skills. The challenge that I relish is that of keeping up-to-date with the ever-expanding range of solutions open to me as a community occupational therapist, this requires me to research, read, learn and harness new initiatives to become routine ways of working. Occupational therapists often associate the status of specialist with specific aetiologies, but I consider my specialism to be my ability to apply the core values of my profession in every situation I face in order to make a difference to the lives of my patients. I am proud of the skills, knowledge and confidence I have developed that have enabled me to feel that I can tackle any situation and achieve a positive outcome for my customer. I have never doubted my decision to work in the community and I look forward to the future of community occupational therapy and everything it might bring.

Working with the Assistive Technology Team I arranged for sensors to be installed so that at certain times of the day when the sensors were triggered, the landing light would turn on