Senior Care in Burlington

After assessing an individual’s environment, our occupational therapists can recommend ways to optimize the home for safety in daily life activities. This helps prevent falls/injuries and maintain independence. These include:

• Home modifications, such as installing a ramp, porch lift, grab bar in the shower or beside the toilet, or the installation of an accessible kitchen etc.
• Other assistive devices such as the use of a bath seat, a pillbox for medications, or the installation of an automatic shut-off stove.

We can also assist with applying for the community- or provincial-based funding to be used for home modifications (i.e. Ontario March of Dimes).

At Pillars of Wellness, our occupational therapists will assess mobility, which includes gait, balance, ability to transfer (i.e. on/off toilet or chair, in/out of the tub), as well as the ability to negotiate stairs. This helps them recommend certain pieces of equipment that can improve independence and safety in your home and community.

At our clinic in Burlington, we have occupational therapists that are registered with the Assistive Device Program (ADP) with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and can assist with funding applications for mobility devices such as walkers, rollators, manual and power wheelchairs, and scooters.

Occupational therapists can also provide education on skin protection and assess the need for an appropriate mattress and/or other surfaces (i.e. wheelchair cushions) to prevent and/or treat pressure sores and wounds.

At Pillars of Wellness, our occupational therapists can develop a return-to-activity program that helps manage any pain. This program will work to gradually increase your tolerance for activity and develop a daily routine that may incorporate rest breaks.

This can include education on energy conservation, task modification, and proper body mechanics. The use of assistive equipment and technology may also be recommended.

Our occupational therapists are skilled at providing education on coping strategies that may include visual imagery, progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, and mindfulness-based meditation. Other technology and/or modalities may also be used to treat pain, such as needleless MPS therapy (microcurrent point stimulation).

At our Burlington clinic, our occupational therapists use cognitive assessments to determine your strengths and limitations and, from there, develop specialized treatment plans that include both remedial and compensatory strategies. We work with you, your family, and other members of your medical team to promote safety at home and in your community.

Treatment approaches may include the following:

• Providing training and strategies to improve/maintain independence with activities of daily living activities, such as bathing, dressing, eating, shopping, housekeeping etc. These activities may be graded based on an individual’s capabilities in order to preserve their identity and to promote continued engagement and sense of self
• Incorporating socially and physically stimulating activities into one’s daily activities
• Developing leisure-based activity programs
• Recommending electronic assistive equipment, adaptation, and technology to promote independence, reduce care costs, and allow you to remain safe within our home
• Advising caregivers on supporting someone living with memory loss and other cognitive impairments
• Assessing the home environment as well as making strategies to effectively compensate for impaired memory, learning, and reasoning skills
• Helping reduce levels of stress experienced by people with dementia and their caregivers
• Linking to community supports (i.e. meals on wheels, day programs, Alzheimer’s Society, connecting to wandering registry etc.)