In-Home skilled occupational therapy services can include

  • Rehabilitative and Habilitative Occupational Therapy (OT) Services for Adults

  • Transfer Training and Injury Prevention for Caregivers

  • Home Safety and Modification Recommendations

  • Equipment and assistive devices for adaptive strategies and improved safety

  • Personalized Exercise Programs including Strength and Balance Training, Tai Chi, Gentle and Chair Yoga, and Meditation.

  • Fall prevention and Management

  • Stress and Anxiety Management

    Equipoise Occupational Therapy offers direct patient care services and/or consultative services using Skills2Care for the caregivers of people living with dementia.

Skills2Care is an evidence-based, specialized program for caregivers of persons living with dementia. Through customized and individualized sessions delivered within the home or by telehealth to the caregiver, specific challenge areas in providing care to the person with dementia are identified. The Occupational Therapist then works with the caregiver to devise strategies and recommendations for supporting positive communication, engagement in self-care routines, and addressing specific problem areas encountered when providing care. With the goal of reducing stress for both the person with dementia and the caregiver, stress and behavior management strategies are taught and provided to the caregiver. 

Examples of challenging behaviors demonstrated by the person with dementia include: 

  • Wandering without direction

  • Shadowing (following closely) a caregiver/person from room to room

  • Hallucinations/Delusions (believing somebody is within the home, or trying to get in)

  • Agitation and restlessness

  • Incontinence challenges

  • Verbal and/or Physical Aggression and outbursts

  • Declining Hygiene/Self Care Habits

  • Refusing Help or Care from caregivers

Benefits of the Skills2Care program for caregivers include:

  • Customized program lasting 2-10 weeks for managing specific caregiving challenges and stressors

  • Transfer training for caregivers for injury prevention

  • Methods of improving communication among person with dementia and caregiver

  • Stress reduction techniques for caregivers

  • Environmental modifications or enhancements to promote ease in daily routines

  • Sensorimotor based activities and modalities

  • Mind-body movement practices

Tamasin has experience working with different types of Dementia including:

  • Mild Cognitive Impairment

  • Alzheimer's Disease

  • Vascular dementia

  • Frontotemporal dementia

  • Lewy body dementia

  • Parkinson's dementia

Skills2Care can be integrated into a Plan of Care for an individual receiving outpatient skilled OT services under Medicare B with MD referral. Skills2Care can also be billed direct to caregiver for direct consultative services to caregiver, without direct care provided to the person with dementia. 

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“Caregiving, as well as managing the household of a family member with dementia can be an overwhelming combination of tasks. Working with Tamasin through Skills2Care gave me the confidence I needed to manage those challenges, and therefore improve my outlook on the situation.

With her expert guidance, together we identified problems and came up with useful strategies to improve my mother’s care and quality of life, as well as reduce my own stress as a caregiver.

Tamasin has a good understanding of dementia, is a supportive listener, and is a creative problem solver. I am so grateful for the Skills2Care program!”
— Cindy Hale