Integrated & Community Services - Occupational Therapy

You have been referred to the Adult Social Care Therapy & Wheelchair Service because of the functional difficulties you may be experiencing while carrying out activities of daily living.

Activities of daily living are the everyday tasks you carry out at home, such as getting in and out of your property, up and down the stairs or in and out of the bath.

This service will assess your areas of difficulty and suggest either a differing technique, a piece of equipment, or may even look at adapting your home to improve or maintain your ability to carry out these functional tasks safely, supporting you to live your life as well as you can.

There is a high demand for this service, and this does mean there is a waiting time before we can carry out your assessment.
However, it is important to us that you wait well for your assessment, so we have included some suggestions which may help you to do this in the meantime.

Short term options for waiting well

• If your functional difficulty is getting in to or out of the bath or shower and you are worried you may hurt yourself, then it is best to carry out a strip wash until your assessment can be completed
• If your functional difficulty is managing the stairs, you may wish to consider privately arranging for an additional stair rail to be installed, as this can be very helpful. Alternatively, you may wish to consider downstairs living, by arranging for someone to bring your bed downstairs.

We can provide a commode for use in the short-term without undergoing an assessment, please call Salford Equipment Services on 0161 206 7016 and they will arrange for one of these to be delivered to your home.

If you have an electric profiling bed already from Salford Equipment Services and this is located upstairs, call them and they will arrange for this to be brought downstairs for you whilst waiting for your assessment.

• If your functional difficulty is transferring on and/or off the toilet, call Salford Equipment Services on the above number and they will arrange for a commode to be sent out for temporary use
• If you are a permanent wheelchair user and have difficulty manoeuvring in and out of your property due to steps etc, you may wish to consider purchasing a portable ramp for temporary use
• If your functional difficulty is transferring on and/or off your chair, consider if there is another chair that is more suitable, somewhere else in the property that you could use instead. Adding an additional cushion to a seat can make a great difference, alternatively a referral to Physiotherapy for strengthening exercises can be accessed via your GP
• If your functional difficulty is transferring on and/or off your bed, consider if there is another more suitable bed in the property, removing the wheels from the base if the bed is too high can help, as can changing the mattress, if it is too high or too low. Again, a referral to a physiotherapist for strengthening exercises can be helpful and can be accessed by calling your GP
• If your functional difficulty is around your mobility and you are experiencing falls and/or you are feeling anxious about falling you may want to contact your GP for a referral to the Falls service, they will provide advice and support, and if appropriate, will provide you with a walking aid
• If you feel your strength and ability to carry out activities has deteriorated and you feel you may benefit from a period of rehabilitation, e.g. strengthening exercises, you can ask your GP for a referral to the Community Rehabilitation team. This team consists of Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and support staff who will carry out a period of rehabilitation with you. This may also include the provision of some low-level equipment such as toilet frames or chair raisers or minor adaptations such as additional stair rails, grab rails and half steps
• Alternatively, if you would like some advice regarding managing your difficulty or purchasing your own equipment you may wish to contact the Disabled Living Centre, also based in Salford, by calling 0161 214 4590 between the hours of 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday or visit their website www.disabledliving.co.uk.

The Disabled Living Centre is a registered charity who provide free and impartial information and advice, they also have their own Occupational Therapists who can offer private assessments if required.