Informal care is the assistance provided to someone in need of support, by family or friends. People usually prefer spending their senior days with their family and their loved ones, which is why a life in a care center is not for many an agreeable outcome. However, there are situations in which family or friends are not prepared enough to provide the professional care the patient needs. This is why they can and will usually consider hiring one of the professionals in home health care Pueblo CO services in Colorado, to take upon themselves the task of taking care of the sick parent or the disabled relative from a medical point of view.

What will the health care professional do?

If a family member is dealing with a disabled person, taking care of her can be quite difficult, especially if you take into account their daily needs. In this situation, family can consider leaving the task of performing activities of daily living (also called ADL) such as bathing, dressing or helping the patient with their eating, accompanying them for a walk or even to the toilet – to a home care aid or a nurse. 

Moreover, if the patient needs wound care or physical or psychological therapy, the family can consider hiring a physical therapist or a mental health worker. In the case of a person suffering from a physical, cognitive or mental problem, they may also consider contacting an occupational therapist, who will try and help the patient to recover the ability of ensuring his or her living inside the community or at least in the daily life activities.

What types of activities will an occupational therapist be able to provide help with?

There are a lot of activities that this specialist can help the person in need with:

• Taking a bath or a shower;
• Feeding the patient;
• Dressing and grooming of the person requiring occupational therapy;
• Assistance with the patient’s mobility and their transportation (even the long walks with the help of a wheelchair);
• Personal hygiene as well as toilet hygiene;
• Caring for the patient’s pet or for other members of the patient’s family, if unable to tend to themselves as well (this includes raising children or providing assistance to other disabled or illness-struck members of the family)
• Communicating with the patient and transmitting his or her interactions to the family or to the ones instructed by the person in need of an occupational therapist;
• Preparing meals and medication program;
• Ensuring the safety of the affected person;
• Shopping and driving in order to abide by the interests of the disabled;
• Helping the person in need get a good rest;
• Taking care of their education, their leisure time, and involving them as much as possible, in social activities with friends and family.

Health care services in Colorado specialize in many areas regarding occupational therapy. While some may choose to involve the patient in community practice, others may prefer to assist them with a physical or a mental condition, which is why occupational therapy is a domain of the utmost importance in health care.