Other Health Services
Occupational Therapy - Rehabilitation Services
Health Care Professionals - Cardiac Health System
Occupational Therapy services are provided to two cardiology
units and Trillium’s new cardiovascular surgery unit.
On cardiology, patients seen by Occupational Therapy include
those with recent myocardial infarction(heart attack), congestive
heart failure, angina and any other cardiac condition that
may have compromised a patient’s ability to perform
the tasks of everyday life.
On the cardiovascular surgery unit, Occupational Therapy
is involved primarily with patients who have undergone procedures
such as coronary bypass, valve repair and valve replacement.
In Cardiac Services, the goal of Occupational Therapy is
to provide those patients with cardiovascular illness the
information and resources that will enable that patient to
make appropriate choices and positive changes in their lifestyle
as they gradually resume their daily routines.
In all areas of Cardiac Services, the Occupational Therapist
provides a complete assessment of a patient’s ability
to manage their activities of daily living (ADL). Once the
problem areas are identified, the Occupational Therapist
can assist a patient to achieve a better level of independence
and safety in their ADLs, through practice and retraining.
The Occupational Therapist also helps the patient and the
family to prepare for discharge from hospital by providing
information on special equipment needs, ADL techniques and
activity guidelines. Some patients require specialized cognitive
assessment as a result of post-op complications (i.e. focal
neuro deficits, delirium and deconditioning).
In both areas of Cardiac Services, the Occupational Therapist
is part of a multi-disciplinary team that collectively provides
a wide range of education to the cardiac patient. Specifically,
Occupational Therapy provides education, either individually
or in groups, to the post MI population regarding activity
guidelines during the first eight weeks of their cardiac
rehabilitation. Occupational Therapy also provides an educational
class on an outpatient basis in the Heart Function Clinic,
to a group of patients with congestive heart failure, emphasizing
the benefits of energy conservation, work simplification
and relaxation in the management of everyday routines.
|
