Occupational Therapy for Daily Living Skills
Table of Contents
Occupational Therapy For Daily Living Skills: 7 Important Skills OTs Help Build
Daily living skills refer to the simple tasks that assist an individual in going through their day such as getting dressed, eating, showering, managing routines, and participating in the community.
Such daily tasks may be harder for people with a disability, an injury, or a developmental delay to the extent that they might feel impossible.
Wherever this is the case, support through occupational therapy for daily living skills is the next most important thing. OT supports individuals to gain self-assurance, to get some handy skills, and to experience their daily life as something they can control.
1. What Daily Living Skills Are
Daily living skills refer to those essential things that one has to do in order to be self-sufficient. They can be simple physical acts, such as putting on your clothes or feeding yourself, as well as habitual tasks, such as organizing your day or remembering appointments.
Daily living skills usually include:
• Dressing
• Eating and mealtime routines
• Hygiene and showering
• Toileting
• Using your hands for small tasks
• Moving safely around your home
• Taking part in activities outside the home
Healthdirect also gives a simple explanation of daily living activities and how they relate to a person’s independence.
For people who find these tasks difficult, OT provides step-by-step support.
2. Why People Struggle With Daily Living Skills
People need OT support for different reasons.
Some were born with a disability. Others develop challenges later in life.
Common reasons include:
• Physical disability
• Developmental delay
• Autism
• Stroke or brain injury
• Mental health challenges
• Age-related changes
• Chronic pain or mobility issues
Raising Children Network illustrates that handicap or developmental delay may influence basic activities of life, hence, the need for some people to receive additional support in the area of daily living skills.
Once a skill is challenging, individuals may choose to evade it. Gradually, the work becomes even more difficult.
An OT supports the person by dividing the work into smaller parts and thus, making it easier, safer, and more familiar again.
3. Skills OTs Help Develop
That is what occupational therapists are mainly concerned with – those most important skills to the person. Their help is very kind, down to earth, and as a pace of the person.
Dressing
Making the choice of clothes, using zippers or buttons, balancing while dressing yourself, or preparing a routine that makes mornings more comfortable.
Eating and mealtimes
Cutlery use, container opening, building safe swallowing habits, or creating calm eating routines.
Hygiene and personal care
Brushing teeth, taking a shower, washing hair, or learning steps involved in toileting.
Community participation
Using public transport, managing money, participating in activities, or simply being able to go out of the house with confidence.
Each person is different in their learning, therefore OTs change the support to suit what is achievable.
4. Tools & Strategies OTs Use
OTs use simple tools and strategies to make tasks easier.
This might include:
• Visual schedules or step-by-step pictures
• Adaptive equipment like grab rails or modified cutlery
• Breaking a task into small steps
• Practising movements slowly and safely
• Building routines that reduce stress
• Creating a calm environment for learning
These adjustments help the person do more on their own and feel confident practicing the skill.
5. OT Assessments
Generally, before treatment, an occupational therapist (OT) makes an assessment to find out the areas in which the patient requires assistance.
Basically, the assessment examines:
• How the person moves
• How they manage daily routines
• What tasks feel uncomfortable or confusing
• Sensory needs
• Behaviour or emotional responses
• Safety concerns
• Strength, balance, or hand skills
With the help of the assessment, the OT is able to come up with a plan that is suitable for the individual’s lifestyle rather than a standard program.
6. How the NDIS Funds Daily Living Support
The NDIS often funds OT under:
• Capacity Building – Improved Daily Living
• Core – Assistance with Daily Life
Funding can support:
• OT sessions
• Home-based therapy
• Equipment for daily tasks
• Reports for plan reviews
• Skill-building programs
• Support for routines at home or in the community
You can learn more about how OT fits into your NDIS goals on our page, Registered NDIS Provider in Logan.
7. Janalli’s Approach to Occupational Therapy for Daily Living Skills
At Janalli we concentrate on giving the feeling that daily tasks are mere simple and manageable things.
Firstly, we focus on the person’s abilities, what makes them happy and the habits that they already have at home.
Our OT support usually includes:
• Gentle practice of daily tasks
• Clear steps broken down into small parts
• Support that matches the person’s comfort level
• Suggestions for equipment that makes tasks easier
• Home-based strategies families can use every day
• Community skill support when needed
You can learn more on our About Us, Contact Us pages.
Local Support from a Registered NDIS Provider in Logan and Surrounding Suburbs
Areas We Support
- Springwood
- Browns Plains
- Beenleigh
- Woodridge
- Logan Central
- Marsden
- Yarrabilba
- Broader Logan City Council region
Why Local Matters
Local support means sessions happen in familiar environments, routines stay consistent, and families get help from a team that knows the Logan community well.
Conclusion: Occupational Therapy for Daily Living Skills
Occupational therapy for daily living skills support is a way that can help people to become more confident and independent in their daily life. A single step, with the correct support, can be a great change in circumstances for the morning to go smoothly, the daily routine to be easier, as well as to make going to the community more comfortable.
Usually, through occupational therapy for daily living skills, patients realize that basic daily activities become more understandable, peaceful, and easier to handle as time goes on.
Janalli is available to assist you in developing these abilities gradually.
Call us today on 0403-258-258
Email us at: info@janalliservices.com.au
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