Allied health services

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapists work with people who have limited ability to do everyday activities.

Their services include:

functional assessment of everyday activities such as showering and dressing
cognitive assessments (standardised) to assess current cognitive status and potential safety implications
rehabilitation in the home or for people returning to work
equipment assessments for short- or long-term needs
home visits to assess safety
community assessments and interventions, such as the provision of equipment or an application to Enable New Zealand for housing modifications.

People will be referred to occupational therapy services if they:

experience a deterioration in functional ability, due to hospital admission or a recent event
demonstrate cognitive impairment that affects their ability to function or be safe at home
live alone with limited social support
require environmental checks or home visits to assess safety
require equipment on discharge, needing long term funding.