Occupational Therapy

We aim to help individuals develop the necessary abilities to accomplish their activities of daily living and/or to find ways to compensate for physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and/or functional limitations to ensure optimal participation in whatever activities they regularly engage in and fulfill their various roles. We offer treatment in various settings including hospitals, old age homes, and outpatient care and are contracted with majority of medical aid schemes.

As OT's, we are well equipped to help modify the environment or activities such as self-care activities, work related activities, household activities, and leisure activities so that our clients can accomplish them with ease and efficiency, as well as minimise the impact of their condition on their ability to engage in meaningful occupations.

Restoring skills for everyday self-care tasks such as bathing and dressing after an accident, illness, or with advancing age.

Our goal is to restore the skills necessary for basic personal hygiene tasks such as washing and changing clothes after they have been compromised by an accident, illness, or old age. We help you identify your daily goals, break them down into manageable steps and integrate them into your daily life.

We are also experts in making your bathroom a safe and accessible space to meet your changing needs. Occupational therapists are highly skilled in helping people who have difficulty washing and dressing themselves and provide these individuals with the necessary tools to achieve maximum independence.

How do you know if you need to reach out?

Below are some of the reasons people may seek our help:

To reduce the risk of falling or getting caught while bathing, showering, or using the toilet
To learn how to better have ready access to the toilet when needed
Difficulty standing or maintaining
Acquisition of new personal care techniques after brain, spine, or orthopaedic injury
Coping with the effects of progressive neurological disease
Presence of impaired mobility and coordination

Our assessment process allows our expert occupational therapists to pinpoint a client's personal care issues and provide the best possible practical advice and new personal care techniques. We will be able to provide guidance for the situation. We can also recommend helpful tweaks and devices and arrange their installation (if necessary).

Our approach aims to provide practical, cost-effective solutions to maximize independence and reduce risk.

Our OT assessments include:

Medical history and current prognosis
Current and future level of mobility, hand and arm function
Fatigue, concentration or memory difficulties
Assessment of your occupational profile
Location of rooms is always critical to the living environment
Height and position of bathroom furniture
Accessibility of Stairs
Future Goals and Aspirations of the client/patient, Family, or Caregivers

Memory loss following the diagnoses of dementia or brain injuries, as well as normal ageing process or duringperiods of unusual stress can be a difficult reality.

Occupational therapists are trained to offer practical advice in order to give peace of mind and support to the client/patient and their loved ones. Difficulties with memory can result in difficult times for families, especially ifaccompanied by a loss of the sense of safety we usually enjoy in our own homes.

Memory loss can occur for a variety of reasons, not only following diagnoses of dementia or brain injuries, but also from the normal ageing process or during periods of unusual stress. Whether your concern has been triggered by your own lapses of memory, or you have a parent who regularly leaves the gas on or forgets to take medication, our unobtrusive and sensitive assessments can be the first step towards ensuring you receive the reassurance and help you need.

Whether you are enquiring on your behalf or for a client, partner, family member or friend, we are perfectly positioned to understand your concerns and advise regarding the next steps to take.

How do you know if you need to reach out?

Often a particular event leads to an approach to our practice, although such concern is as likely to have been growing over time as to have been triggered by a sudden event such as an accident.

Some of the most common reasons people contact us for memory problems are:

Confusion or forgetfulness
Difficulties with executive functioning
Difficulties in managing essential medications

Our evaluation process allows our professional occupational therapists to sensitively identify such problemsand provide recommendations to manage the situation as well as mitigate the impact on the client and their families as well as ensure that all recommended changes are implemented when necessary.

Our goal is to provide counselling and support for clients and families dealing with forgetfulness and memory problems in order to maintain or improve independence.

Addressing barriers to work after an accident, illness, or injury

We offer comprehensive assessments, solutions, and advice for continuing or returning to meaningful work following a period of illness or injury. We regularly work with clients and employers to identify and addressbarriers to work place participation and regularly support clients who seek help in making themselves or theirloved one successful in their careers regardless of any impairment they may have.

Return to work assessment

There can be many issues, both physical and mental, that prevent an employee from returning to work after serious illness or injury. Our therapists at Simply OT work with the employer and employee, facilitating a dialogue, to identify and address these issues and agree on a return to work programme. The therapist then monitors and reviews the programme on a regular basis to ensure its success.

The programme may involve:

Pre-return to work rehabilitation programmes
Work site visits
Employer/employee liaison
Graded work return programme
Advice regarding possible reasonable accommodations

How does this help?

Return to work programmes reduce the length of absences and the likelihood of the return to work failing, i.e. repeat absence. They also ensure that should further action be necessary, the employer can demonstrate they have fulfilled all their obligations and their duty of care.

Reasonable Accommodations

The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 mandates employers to take reasonable steps to consult and reach agreement with an employee in regard to all affirmative action measures, including, but not limited to identifying and eliminating barriers to employment and providing reasonable accommodation to accommodate disabled workers, e.g. if a worker develops a disability or a disabled candidate applies for a job.

Based on an assessment of the disability and the nature of the job, this service provides practical advice on reasonable accommodations that can be made and what would be considered reasonable for the employer.

How does it help?

This service helps employers meet their legal obligation and take reasonable steps to accommodate workers living with a disability or impairment.

Rehabilitation programmes

Rehabilitation aims to improve your ability to carry out the everyday activities that have been affected by illness or injury. Occupational therapy helps you get the most out of what is important in your life.

Rehabilitation focuses on work and leisure as well as the everyday daily activities. At Simply OT we carry out a thorough assessment and design the rehabilitation program around your work and life goals.

Ongoing support and one-on-one sessions will help ensure success and help you regain your sense of self and achieve your goals. Whether it is a long-term disability or you are recovering from an injury, having access to a timely rehabilitation program is the key to rebuilding your life.

How do you know if you need to reach out?

Some of the most common reasons for seeking help are:

Advice for continuing to work after a medical diagnosis
Help returning to work after a period of absence
Modification of workspace or office furniture to ensure comfort and productivity
Brain injury, amputation, or other serious injuries
To help find a job new role after a life-changing event.

Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE)

Aims to identify any mobility, agility and or load handling difficulties that clients may have which pose a barrier to their return to work

Where an employee has developed a disability through illness, accident or injury, this systematic validated assessment is performed by a licenced OT/expert. The assessment reviews and measures the impact of the employee’s condition on their overall physical and cognitive capacity.

The assessment can be tailored to assess their work type to ascertain their capacity to work in a certain role. The assessment will also detail what they are able and not able to do.

How does it help?

Having an independent and objective assessment of the impact of the employee’s disability facilitates a more open and transparent dialogue with employee on what he/she is able to do.

This enables better planning and development of a return to work programme and coupled with a Work Site Visit (assessment of the working environment) it provides a complete picture of the employee’s capacity to undertake a job and any reasonable accommodations/adjustments that might be made.

The assessment can also identify when a person is clearly unable to return to their pre-injury duties.

We offer practical techniques to maximize independence at home after a medical Diagnosis or injury.

Occupational Therapists work with people who have difficulty maintaining or regaining independence at homefollowing the onset of an illness or injury. Whether it's cooking, laundry, shopping, cleaning, or other householdchores, there are practical and proven techniques for maximizing independence in areas that matter to each individual. Maximizing independence at home is central to the occupational therapist's mission. Whether youare making inquiries for yourself or on behalf of a client, partner, family member or friend, we understand yourconcerns and can advise you regarding the necessary steps to get them there seeing as home management tasks such as cooking, cleaning, gardening and other family duties are at the centre of domestic independence.

How do you know if you need to reach out?

The following are amongst many examples of demanding situations within the domestic task requirements with which occupational therapy can assist:

Difficulty standing upright whilst preparing food after a stroke, brain injury, or orthopaedic injury
Using cutlery, cooking utensils and home equipment after dexterity has been compromised, due to injuries such as an amputation or tendon injury
Minimizing the risk of falling within the within the home

Our aim is to provide flexible, practical and cost-effective solutions to maintaining and improving your independence around the home. Our assessment may involve looking at:

Your current and likely future levels of mobility, standing tolerance, strength and upper body function
The home environment, including your kitchen, stairs, bedroom and bathroom
Your daily routine, and that of those you care for or who care for you
Any equipment that you currently or are likely to need in the future, such as walking frames, wheelchairs or memory aids
Your own, your family's or carer's specific wishes and goals

Standing and supporting yourself after illness, an accident or with old age can be difficult and/or painful.

We are constantly assisting clients in these situations and provide practical solutions to minimize difficulties in the form of techniques, exercises or specialized equipment to maximize autonomy and comfort. Maximizing autonomy at home is central to an occupational therapist's role. Whether you are asking on your behalf or onbehalf of a client, partner, family member or friend, we fully understand your concerns and advise youregarding the steps you would need to take towards an improved quality of life.

How do you know if you need to reach out?

Below are some of the reasons people may seek our help:

To reduce the risk of falling or getting stuck while bathing, showering, or using the toilet
To have ready access to the toilet when needed
Difficulty standing or maintaining
Acquisition of new personal care techniques after brain, spine, or orthopaedic injury
Coping with the effects of progressive neurological disease
Presence of impaired mobility and coordination

Our assessment process allows occupational therapists to identify such problems, and make recommendations to reduce them and (if desired) arrange for any recommended changes to be implemented.

Our goal is to provide flexible and convenient solutions to maintain and improve your mobility in the home and reduce the risk of falls.

Our assessment may involve looking at:

Your medical history and the impact of any current prognosis
Current and future levels of mobility, strength and endurance
The home environment, including the layout of the bathroom, kitchen, living room, bedroom
The suitability, use, and arrangement of furniture in the home
Availability of baths and shower and toilet
Your goals for the future

Strategies to deal with persistent low motivation leading to poor performance at work, problems at home or inrelationships are the reasons why.

But constant low motivation can lead to poor results at work, as well as problems in our families and in ourrelationships. We speak to many clients, family members and professionals concerned about the lack of motivation and its impact on one's daily life. Our comprehensive, non-judgmental assessments can helpidentify barriers to an individual's motivation and allow us to plan to overcome them with realistic strategieswithin a timeframe. time can be achieved.

How do you know if you need to reach out?

We regularly help our clients get through periods of temporary or long-term lack of motivation.

Some of the most common reasons for contacting us include:

Job loss or threat of job loss due to constant tiredness or poor performance
Frequent mood or self-esteem, leading to stressful relationships with family and friends
Anxiety and decreased appetite
Difficulty maintaining concentration for very short periods of time
Inability to maintain routine or structure in everyday life

Our sensitive assessment process can enable occupational therapists to identify such problems and their reasons, inform our recommendations and allow us to formulate plans to improve mood and motivation.

Our aim is to provide practical, non-intrusive support to help improve motivation, so our assessment mayinvolve looking at:

Client's medical history and any current diagnosis
Their social situation and support network support
Changes to daily routine
Roles and responsibilities they feel compelled to assume
Longer-term wishes and goals for the future

Tackling the debilitating effects of fatigue to improve motivation, energy, and engagement in everyday life

Fatigue management techniques can be done to help you get the most out of your day. We all experience fatigue, but when it becomes debilitating and persistent the effects can be life-changing. We work with people suffering from fatigue of various causes to improve their motivation, energy and engagement in daily life and with the world around them.

How do you know if you need to reach out?

Some of the most common fatigue-related challenges we can help you overcome include:

Meeting family responsibilities such as caring for children and maintaining a home
Carrying out work responsibilities
Nurturing friendships and social activities
Staying motivated and focused
Preventing falls
Maintaining mobility, especially if accompanied by acute pain

Our assessment process allows our occupational therapist to identify all of these problems, make recommendations to reduce them, and (if desired) to schedule changes recommended to be performed.

Our goal is to provide practical and cost-effective solutions to your fatigue management. Our assessment may involve looking at:

Your physical, medical and social history to determine the reason for your current level of fatigue
Activity level, strength, pain and general health now and in the future
Your home environment and its effect on you energy levels
Your daily habits and those of those you care about or care for you
Your own, your family's or carer's goals and desires