Helping people make changes that improve everyday life
Sometimes health, life circumstances or changes in our lives can make everyday things feel difficult. This might mean struggling to leave the house, manage anxiety, keep active, look after yourself, maintain your home or return to work.
Our Occupational Therapists (OTs) work with people across the Upper Calder Valley and Lower Calder Valley to understand what is making life difficult and support them to make practical, achievable changes that can improve their health, wellbeing and quality of life.
Occupational therapy is about much more than adapting your environment or finding new ways to do everyday tasks. Our OTs look at the whole person – what is important to them, what they want to change and what might be getting in the way.
This can include identifying habits, behaviours or everyday activities that may be having a negative impact on someone’s health and wellbeing, and working with them to make healthier and more sustainable changes.
“We don’t see a condition or illness, we see a person in front of us who wants to make changes to have a better quality of life – and that’s where we support them, in the way that works best for them.”
PGPA Occupational Therapist
How can an Occupational Therapist help?
Our OTs support people with a wide range of needs, including:
- Building confidence to manage everyday activities
- Managing anxiety, including social anxiety and agoraphobia
- Developing healthier routines around diet, exercise and daily activity
- Supporting people through significant life changes, including menopause
- Finding practical ways to manage after a significant change in circumstances, such as leaving prison
- Supporting people who are struggling with hoarding
- Reducing the risk of falls and helping people remain independent at home
- Supporting people living with long-term health conditions
- Identifying behaviours or routines that may be negatively affecting health
- Developing strategies to manage anxiety and improve emotional wellbeing
- Supporting people to return to or remain in work
- Helping people make changes that can prevent their needs from becoming more complex
The support is personalised to each person. There is no one-size-fits-all approach – our OTs work with people to understand what matters to them and find changes that are realistic for their circumstances.
Supporting people before they reach crisis point
Occupational therapy can sometimes be the right intervention before a person needs a more specialist service or referral.
By helping people make practical changes earlier, OTs can support people to manage their health and wellbeing, maintain their independence and prevent problems from becoming more difficult to manage.
This can contribute to:
- Reducing the risk of falls
- Supporting people to better manage long-term health conditions
- Improving confidence and independence
- Reducing avoidable GP appointments and call-outs
- Helping prevent recurrent hospital admissions
- Supporting people to make changes that improve their physical and mental wellbeing
- Delaying or preventing the need for more intensive support, where appropriate
For some people, occupational therapy can provide an opportunity to work on the practical and behavioural factors affecting their wellbeing before a mental health or frailty referral is needed.
What does this look like in Calderdale?
Our Occupational Therapists in Calderdale work with people experiencing a wide range of challenges. Here are some examples of the support they provide:
Building confidence to leave the house
Making healthier choices
Supporting someone living with hoarding
Getting back to everyday life after prison
Managing changes during the menopause
Building confidence and independance
Managing anxiety