What to Expect: Therapy Evaluations
What happens when your loved one meets with the skilled nursing facility’s occupational and physical therapists?
First off, what is occupational and physical therapy?
Occupational therapy is all about helping your loved one do activities of dailing living, and largely focuses on the hands, arms, and neurological training.
Physical therapy is more focused on a patient’s ability to move their body, and largely focuses on the lower body and balance.
In the first 24 hours, both occupational and physical therapists will come in for an evaluation of your loved one.
These evaluations are focused on:
- observing and assessing your loved one’s current status,
- determining if therapy is medically necessary, and
- establishing a plan of care.
If needed, your loved one’s plan of care will contain the following:
- Diagnoses
- Long-term treatment goals
- Type, amount, duration, and frequency of therapy
This plan of care will then be sent to the healthcare provider for approval.
Once the healthcare provider approves, your loved one will begin their therapy routine.