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Functional Capacity Assessments (FCA's)
Occupational therapy encompasses the treatment of injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic observation and use of everyday activities. Those who specialise in occupational therapy help these patients develop, recover, improve and/or maintain the skills needed for daily living and working. These include everyday activities such as self-care and personal hygiene and simple household chores.
Occupational therapists are often called upon to work with patients after an accident, major surgery (particularly after neurological, spinal or any procedure that directly affects mobility), stroke or other illness and in any situation where the ability to care for oneself, one's surroundings and/or function in the workplace has been compromised to any degree.
As occupational therapists, the team at Allied Health Experts specialise in the assessment of day-to-day functioning of an individual, including, but not limited to, self-care/personal hygiene, management of regular and customary household tasks, leisure activities and hobbies.
How Does Allied Health Experts Conduct An Assessment?
Functional OT assessments are almost always conducted in the individual's home or workplace so that we can assess how the person is functioning in their environment(s). Our occupational therapists will assess the patient's present capabilities, as well as the patient's potential functionality with appropriate support and protocols.
Our OT assessments include, but are not limited to:
- Comprehensive interview: Based upon the illness, injury or affliction at hand, an interview will take place with either the patient alone or the patient and their caregiver. This interview establishes rapport, trust and further gives the therapist a complete overview of the patient's current health status, their at-present physical and mental capabilities and their short-term and long-term goals.
- Functional/physical assessment: Our occupational therapists will perform tests to measure physical strength, any postural intolerance, balance, level of fatigue, range of motion, ability to lift and carry, ability to sit, stand and walk, ability to perform fine and gross manipulations, etc. Depending on circumstances, the therapist may perform some or all the tests on two consecutive days to compare functioning from one day to the next.
- Observation of function in day-to-day tasks: We observe the patient performing normal routine functions in their home and/or at work. Based on our observations, we will make appropriate recommendations where we observe a compromised or lack of ability to perform specific functions. Please note that we perform these observations in a compassionate, unobtrusive manner, paying particularly sensitive attention to any matters involving personal hygiene situations.
- Cognitive screening: Occupational therapists are experts in measuring functional cognition and in identifying performance-based cognitive impairments that can range from subtle to obvious. Early detection of cognitive impairments enables us to comprehensively assess the patient, provide evidence of compromised cognition in our reporting and aids in the design of the most appropriate future protocols for the patient.
- Psychological screening: We conduct psychological screenings of patients to determine coping strategies in reaction to their illness or affliction, as well as the overall impact that their current health situation is having on their overall quality of life. We then identify areas of current and future needs and make recommendations as to action plans.
- Use of various standardised and non-standardised assessment tools and indexes to provide an evidence-based opinion: We use these tools to provide a thorough and comprehensive overview of the patient based upon directly comparable situations and other pertinent data.
To find out more about our occupational therapy services and assessments, contact Allied Health Experts today.
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