Havre, Montana – The Physical Therapy Department (PT) at Northern Montana Health Care (NMHC) is proud to announce that they are now offering Occupational Therapy (OT) to their patients.
Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working. They work with people of all ages, from premature babies to young children, adults in midlife, and seniors. Occupational therapy is client-centered, achieves positive outcomes, and is cost-effective.
NMHC is offering OT services for our inpatient, outpatient, and Northern Montana Care Center, with a focus on adult and geriatric population including:
- Self-care training including dressing, bathing, toileting, eating, etc.
- Participation with leisure activities, work-related tasks, and home management
- Training with adaptive equipment and energy conservation techniques
- Recommendations for home modifications and use of durable medical equipment
- Upper extremity rehab for specific conditions injuries that impact daily function
“In short, the Occupational Therapist looks at how you do any kind of activity or task. Then they come up with a plan to improve the way you perform daily activities with more ease and less pain, in essence, teaching you how to adapt to your situation.” stated Jerad Gillen, Director of Rehab Services at NMHC.
“We are focusing on fulfilling our adults needs for Occupational Therapy first. We hope to extend OT services to the pediatric population in the future “added Jerad Gillen.
“As an Occupational Therapist, my goal is to help each person I work with achieve what is most important to them, what they want or need to do each day. A person may benefit from modifying their environment or daily routine in order to increase their independence and to live their best quality of life.” stated Kendyll Smith, Occupational Therapist at NMHC.
This type of treatment can help if you have pain, injury, illness, or a disability that makes it hard for you to do your job, care for yourself, complete household chores, move around, or take part in activities. Referrals for Occupational Therapy may be obtained from your Primary Care Provider.