WHAT WE DO
We offer Neurorehabilitation and Occupational Therapy Assessments which can help our clients maximise potential
Physical
Our therapists are experts in assessing the physical challenges experienced by our clients; how their body has been affected and how their environment impacts them.
By assessing the impact of the injury, we identify ways to maximise independence in:
- Washing and dressing
- Time management
- Meal planning
- Shopping and cooking
- Using a computer or telephone
- Cleaning and household management
- Planning journeys
- Using public transport
- Writing
- Engagement in leisure activities
- Paid or unpaid work (vocational rehabilitation).
We recommend techniques or strategies, to promote independence and manage fatigue, suggest changes within the environment and prescribe equipment to maximise independence, thereby reducing our clients dependence on others in everyday tasks.
Cognitive
After brain injury, assessment of a person's thinking skills (cognition) is important. Problems with memory, attention, problem solving, planning and organising can have a big impact on how people cope with everyday life.
Through detailed clinical observation and the use of standardised assessments, we can identify specific strategies and evidence based treatment techniques, which means our interventions are more effective at targeting problem areas.
Brain injuries can also affect vision and perception. Our Occupational Therapist's can support clients and their families to set up the home environment or learn compensatory techniques and strategies to promote independence.
NEURO-REHABILITATION
An important part of neurorehabilitation process is goal setting and treatment planning. Our therapists are experts in setting meaningful goals with clients to focus their rehabilitation on the areas that important to them. Clear goals help clients engage, recognise progress and can enhance their quality of life.
We design client centred rehabilitation programmes for carers or support workers to implement and use clear documentation alongside a variety of outcome measures; this enables us to demonstrate client progress and evaluate our input to ensure it is effective over time.
Where reduced confidence, anxiety or fatigue impact on clients achieving goals, we can identify anxiety management techniques or design tailored fatigue management programmes to maximise our clients rehabilitation potential.
SPECIALIST ARM AND HAND (UPPER LIMB) ASSESSMENTS, SPLINTING AND THERAPY
Where clients have experienced changes in the joints and soft tissue structures (muscles, ligaments etc) of their arms and hands, recommendations and splints can be made to promote recovery and prevent deterioration.
With years of specialist training and experience in upper limb assessment and treatment, Neurolink OT's can fabricate tailor made thermoplastic hand splints to meet clients needs; from something to help hold a fishing rod, to something that provides a maintained stretch for their hand at night. These may include:
- Functional splints
- Dynamic splints
- Resting splints
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION
Returning to an existing job or exploring paid / unpaid work options for the future can be an important part of the rehabilitation process. Our Occupational Therapists are experts in evaluating how an injury will affect our clients' ability to perform within a work setting.
Physical and cognitive assessment helps us to predict what issues may arise within the working environment and work role.
It is important to prepare both the client, their employer and, where appropriate, their colleagues for return to work, to manage expectations and ensure success.
Neurolink OT also offers a service to clients who have returned to work and are experiencing difficulties coping with this or achieving what is expected of them by their employers.
TRANSITIONAL REHABILITATION
When clients move out of institutional settings back into their own homes or supported living environments, transitional rehabilitation plays an important role. Moving back to community based living can be overwhelming and hazardous, therefore Occupational Therapy input is recommended both pre and post transition.
Neurolink OT has extensive experience of supporting clients to achieve the skills, manage the risks and adjust to the demands of making such a transition. We work alongside our NHS colleagues to prepare a client for discharge and ensure a seamless transfer into the community.
The preparation phase is essential to predict what issues might arise; to develop the essential skills the client will need to be as independent as they can and ensure the move is safe and successful for all involved parties.
Post transition, clients require input to continue to maximise independence, expand their skills and promote quality of life by enabling them to access community based resources eg. for leisure.
ANXIETY MANAGEMENT
Many clients experience issues with reduced confidence or anxiety. Sometimes progress can be severely hampered if these issues are not addressed in a timely manner.
Our Occupational Therapists are skilled at facilitating clients to recognise the symptoms and triggers for their anxiety, so we can enable them to master anxiety management strategies effectively in the future.
FATIGUE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMMES
Fatigue can be an issue for conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME) etc. We can design individualised fatigue management programmes to minimise the effects of fatigue.
We recognise that fatigue management is not as simple as taking regular rests. The environment, equipment and other aspects must all be looked at to provide a holistic approach to this issue and promote quality of life.
TECHNOLOGY
We enable clients with cognitive, communication and visual impairments to use email or software, such as Word or Excel. We also encourage the use of mainstream technology to support communication and cognitive strategies, when working on memory, planning and organisation ie. mobile phone applications.
We can also make recommendations for computer hardware which might enable clients who only have limited use, coordination and/or dexterity in one or both arms/hands to access a computer more easily.
We can support clients to explore what environmental controls might meet their needs to promote independence within the home ie. where physical limitations mean a client cannot draw their curtains, open the door or operate a standard remote control.
POWERED WHEELCHAIRS, SCOOTERS AND ADAPTED VEHICLES
Our Occupational Therapists offer assessments, information and advice in relation to the private purchase of powered wheelchairs, scooters and adapted vehicles. We want to ensure that our clients get the most appropriate equipment to meet their posture, seating and leisure needs.
Having established our client's criteria, we will research the market, liaise with company representatives and will advocate for our clients to ensure their needs are met and their money is not wasted.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS AND EQUIPMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Information and advice can be given to clients and other involved parties to make the home or work environment as safe and accessible as possible. Although our therapists are not experts in major adaptations, sometimes small environmental changes and/or the provision of equipment can increase independence and make all the difference to those with cognitive changes, reduced mobility, strength or movement.
