Occupational therapy for older adults
How OT supports staying at home safely: falls risk, equipment, bathroom access, and the My Aged Care pathway.
Most older people who see an occupational therapist are trying to answer one question: can I keep living here, and what would make that easier? The assessment is built around that rather than around a diagnosis.
What gets looked at
- Getting around the house: steps, thresholds, hallway widths, the trip from the bedroom to the bathroom at night.
- The bathroom, which is where most of the risk concentrates: getting in and out of the shower, standing long enough to wash, rails, and seating.
- Transfers: bed, chair, toilet, car.
- Daily tasks: meals, medication, laundry, shopping.
- Falls history, which is the single most useful thing to bring to a first appointment.
Funding pathways
For older adults this is usually My Aged Care assessments rather than the NDIS. Equipment and home modifications recommendations come out of the same visit.
Earlier is easier. An assessment after a fall is working against a hospital discharge date. An assessment before one is not.
Common questions
Is this the same as an ACAT assessment?
No. An ACAT assessment determines eligibility for aged care services. An OT assessment looks at daily function and what would make the home workable.
Can family arrange the appointment?
Yes, with the person’s consent. It helps if whoever knows the daily routine best can be there.
Related
- Neurodevelopmental conditions What an OT assessment covers for autistic adults and people with ADHD or related conditions: function, environment, and evidence.
- Neurological conditions How OT assessment works after stroke or brain injury and with progressive conditions: function, equipment and the home.
- Physical disability Equipment, access and daily function: what an OT assesses and how the evidence supports a funding request.