Occupational therapy for adults

The team work with people with a cancer diagnosis who are having treatment to cure their cancer, or treatment to manage this palliatively.

This may include advice on managing symptoms, exercise, returning home from hospital when someone has been unwell, or supporting someone with where they want to be at the end of their life.

Occupational therapists work with people who are on the inpatient ward. They aim to support in managing routines, making adaptations where needed and suggesting any support to enable someone to live as fully as they can.

They work as part of a bigger team of people including the medical and nursing teams, palliative care teams and community services.

Occupational therapy at Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead

The occupational therapy service at the Marie Curie Hospice aims to work with patients on ‘what matters to you’.

The team work holistically to focus on the patient’s goals, whether an inpatient or outpatient, aiming to improve quality of life and ensure patients feel supported and comfortable at any stage of their illness.

This can include working on people’s functional skills for everyday tasks, improving activities tolerance and working towards managing fatigue, to taking patients on the ward into the garden with a cup of tea.

Our occupational therapists focus on what is important to patients and their families and provide therapeutic input.

Outpatients

If you are referred to our outpatient gym programme, you will initially require an assessment by the medical team.

You will then be seen one to one by a physiotherapist who will assess you and work on a bespoke programme for you in the gym for 12 weeks.

You will have continued assessments and reviews, progressing/regressing your programme as required, in line with any medical treatment that may be ongoing.

Occupational therapists work together with physiotherapists to assess patient mobility and function.

They may be involved, along with the wider team, in planning discharge and making onward referrals for ongoing rehabilitation. 

Occupational therapists provide an essential role within respiratory medicine, working with patients who have a range of diagnoses which may impact their function.

The team aim to help people achieve and maintain their highest levels of independence and quality of life where possible.

They provide a patient-centred approach to improve a person's functional abilities, mobility, and cognitive functions. 

Occupational therapists provide expert assessment, advice and treatment in:

• Rehabilitation to support an individual’s return to independence in everyday activities following an acute illness.
• Compensatory strategies including adaptive techniques, assistive equipment and recommendations for care. 
• Assessment of environment and issue or advice on modifications. 
• Referral to onward services (eg social care, community therapy and voluntary services).
• Assessment and advice in discharge planning, to achieve a safe discharge from hospital with a home-first approach.
• Identifying frailty syndromes (including falls, delirium, immobility, incontinence and medication management) to support care plans.
• End of life care, advocating for patients and supporting discharges to a patient’s preferred place of death where appropriate.

Occupational therapists may provide a pre-surgery service to patients coming in for orthopaedic elective surgery. 

The team conduct ‘joint school’ for patients due to have a knee or hip replacement surgery. This service provides advice and information to patients to assist them in preparing for their surgery, as well as arranging home visits to deal with any environment/equipment needs. 

Common occupational therapy interventions include:

• assessment of ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL)
• provision of small aids and equipment to assist with performing these ADLs
• postural advice and education around specific conditions, as well as detailing precautions to be followed after some types of surgery
• home visits are carried out when there are complex equipment needs (eg hoists, hospital beds) or if the patients’ needs cannot adequately be assessed in the hospital setting (eg patients with dementia)

The occupational therapy service carries out a wide variety of assessments, both functional and cognitive, to facilitate compliance to vascular recommendations and to maximise independence.

The team also provide community access visits and specialist recommendations to ensure vascular patients return home to an environment suited to their needs.