Occupational Therapy: Improving Home Safety & Preventing Falls
Falling at home, or worrying about falling, can significantly impact your confidence, independence, and well-being. While falls can happen for various reasons, many are preventable. Occupational Therapy (OT) takes a unique, holistic approach to falls prevention by looking closely at you, your home environment, and how you manage everyday activities within that space. Medella Home Physio & OT provides specialist OT falls prevention and home safety assessments directly within your home across Hampshire and Dorset.
Feeling Unsteady or Worried About Falls at Home? OT Can Help
If you’ve had a fall, experienced near misses, feel unsteady on your feet, or simply worry about the risk of falling at home, an Occupational Therapy assessment can provide practical solutions and peace of mind. Our goal is to identify potential risks and work with you to implement strategies that make both you and your home safer.
What Does an OT Falls Prevention & Home Safety Assessment Involve?
A home visit from one of our OTs is essential for this type of assessment. During the visit, we will typically:
- Discuss your falls history (if any), near misses, and any concerns you or your family have.
- Talk about your daily routines and the activities you find challenging.
- Observe how you move around your home and perform specific tasks (e.g., standing up, walking, reaching).
- Conduct a systematic review of your home environment, room by room, identifying potential hazards.
- Review any equipment you currently use (e.g., walking aids) to ensure it’s appropriate and safe.
- Collaboratively discuss findings and potential solutions with you.
How OT Differs from Physiotherapy in Falls Prevention
While both therapies aim to reduce falls, our focus differs. Physiotherapy typically concentrates on improving your physical abilities – balance, strength, walking pattern – often through targeted exercise programmes. Occupational Therapy complements this by focusing primarily on the interaction between you and your environment during your daily activities. We address environmental hazards, adapt tasks, provide equipment solutions, and consider cognitive or perceptual factors contributing to fall risk. Often, a combined approach offers the best outcome.
Benefits of an OT Home Safety & Falls Assessment
- Identification of specific, personal fall risks within your home.
- Practical, achievable recommendations to improve safety.
- Increased confidence in moving around and managing tasks at home.
- Reduced likelihood of falls and fall-related injuries.
- Support to maintain independence in your own home for longer.
- Peace of mind for you and your family.
The Occupational Therapy Approach to Falls Prevention (Person-Environment-Occupation)
Our experienced Occupational Therapists look beyond just physical balance. We use a ‘Person-Environment-Occupation’ approach to understand your unique situation:
- Person: We consider factors related to you, such as your mobility, any vision or hearing difficulties, cognitive changes (like memory or attention), awareness of safety, medication management habits, fear of falling, and even footwear and clothing choices.
- Environment: We conduct a detailed assessment of your home, looking for potential hazards like poor lighting, rugs, clutter, trailing wires, unsuitable furniture heights or placement, and difficulties accessing key areas like the bathroom or kitchen.
- Occupation: We analyse how you perform your everyday activities (your ‘occupations’). How do you get in/out of bed, the bath, or a chair? How do you manage stairs? How do you carry items? Identifying risks during these tasks allows us to suggest safer techniques or adaptations.
Common Recommendations Following Assessment
Based on the assessment, recommendations are tailored to your specific situation and may include:
- Environmental Modifications: Simple changes like removing rugs, improving lighting, securing cables, or rearranging furniture. Recommendations for minor adaptations like grab rails (advising on correct type and placement) or non-slip mats.
- Equipment Provision Advice: Recommending appropriate equipment like bath seats, shower stools, raised toilet seats, perching stools, or reviewing walking aid suitability.
- Task Modification: Suggesting safer or easier ways to perform daily activities (e.g., energy conservation techniques, safer ways to carry items).
- Personal Strategies: Advice on appropriate footwear and clothing, strategies to manage fear of falling, techniques for getting up from the floor (if safe and appropriate).
- Signposting: Recommending checks with other professionals if needed (e.g., GP for medication review, optician for eye test, Physiotherapist for specific balance exercises).
Experienced Occupational Therapists Focused on Your Safety
Our HCPC-registered Occupational Therapists have extensive experience in falls prevention, home safety assessments, and recommending appropriate equipment and adaptations. They bring a practical, problem-solving approach to help you stay safe.
Serving Hampshire and Dorset
We provide OT falls prevention and home safety assessments to individuals in their own homes and care settings throughout Hampshire and Dorset.
Take Steps to a Safer Home Today
Being proactive about falls prevention can make a huge difference. If you have concerns about your safety or the safety of a loved one at home, contact Medella Home Physio & OT today to arrange a comprehensive Occupational Therapy assessment.