Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
Don't Forget Caregivers When Trying to Avoid Nursing Home Placement
OT can help your patients stay at home longer. It's no news that occupational therapy can benefit older patients suffering from dementia, but a recent study shows that OT can also aid senior caregivers. Research published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry tested an occupational therapy home intervention, the Tailored Activity Program (TAP), which systematically evaluates and tailors activities to individual capabilities and trains families in setting up and using activities in daily care. TAP reduced behaviors that trigger nursing home placement and the amount of time families spent supervising and providing care, the American Occupational Therapy Association says in a release. "Our research shows that occupational therapists play a critical role in the care of individuals with dementia and their family caregivers," said Laura N. Gitlin, director of the Jefferson Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health and professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University. "Occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely qualified to evaluate individual capabilities; engage individuals with dementia in activities; help families learn specific communication, task, and environmental simplification strategies; and to take care of themselves," Gitlin continued. "Occupational therapists can help individuals and their families promote or maximize independence, safety, and function," says AOTA's Laurel Cargill Radley. You may facilitate your patients staying at home longer by passing on these five AOTA recommendations for caregivers: 1. Join a therapy or discussion group for caregivers of older adults. 2. Share the responsibility of being an older adult's primary caregiver. 3. Ask others for help. 4. 5. Additional caregiver resources are on Medicare's consumer Web site at www.medicare.gov/caregivers.
Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
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