In the world of dementia care, most people are familiar with the role of their general practitioner and neurologist. These professionals provide vital care in the diagnosis and management of dementia symptoms. However, many families affected by Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia remain unaware of another kind of dementia care specialist: the occupational therapist (OT).

Occupational therapists with dementia care expertise “can help caregivers implement strategies,” states Dr. Laura Gitlin and Catherine Verrier, authors of A Caregiver’s Guide to Dementia. But what exactly do occupational therapists do? Here’s a real-life story to help paint the picture of what one of many approaches from an OT can look like.

“I see it now! It makes more sense.” These are words that a care partner spoke after working with an occupational therapist that specializes in dementia care. 

Previously, this care partner had expressed concerns to their loved one’s physician regarding some seemingly small changes they’d noticed in their partner with dementia’s everyday activities. “She has a history of falls. She is getting up and walking unsafely because she cannot use a walker on her own. It is difficult to help her get out of her chair before mealtimes, and she is hardly eating anymore,” the care partner said.

By reporting this information to their physician, the care partner had unknowingly sparked the beginning of receiving enhanced support she didn’t know existed. Many of these challenges can be quite common for care partners and the person living with dementia, but occupational therapy can promote a bit more ease in their shared daily activities. In response to hearing these concerns and recognizing the progressive nature of dementia and increased risks for hospitalizations, the doctor referred the patient and their care partner to work with an occupational therapist. 

At their first meeting, the occupational therapist completed an initial assessment. Often, these assessments can last 60 minutes or more, as the occupational therapist works in collaboration with the person’s family and medical team. The OT evaluated the challenges, medical history, routines, and abilities of the individual with dementia.

Then, the OT obtained an occupational profile and assessed their environment to develop creative, just-right solutions for the person with dementia and their family. After the initial assessment, the OT wrote a plan of care to address specific goals and areas of concern and shared this plan with the physician. Because of the OT’s unique benefit of knowing both medical and disease processes, they were able to identify specific collaborative solutions accordingly, as well as measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely goals.

In order to carry out the individualized plan of care, the OT returned every week and began helping the care partner understand how different forms of dementia can present in daily living occupations, such as getting up from a chair or eating. Together, they tried different strategies that included how the care partner talks to the person with dementia (their tone, word choice, and non-verbal gestures) as well as techniques to examine the space within which the occupational challenges were occurring.

Due to the OT’s uniqueness in dementia-specific care, the person with dementia and their care partner were able to find more relief, comfort, and compatibility in their daily activities. The OT emphasized the inclusion of both the person with dementia and their care partner and used her careful understanding of how intertwined the lived experience of dementia is to create positive changes in their shared routines. For the care partner, problem-solving challenges became easier when they “made sense.”

How Can I Connect With An Occupational Therapist With Dementia Expertise?

This is just one example of what sessions with an OT with dementia care expertise can do to help a person living with dementia and their care partner experience a higher quality of life. An OT with dementia-related expertise may also be helpful to you and your family if you find yourself:

Through Oakwood Creative Care’s Dementia HUB in Mesa, Arizona, care partners can find answers to these questions and assistance from occupational therapists with dementia experience through our COPE Dementia Coaching Sessions. This program is based on the evidence from the COPE Model and allows care partners to work with a COPE-trained occupational therapist to implement innovative and evidence-based strategies that address dementia-specific challenges at home.