My key objective as an occupational therapist is to work with our clients and families towards achieving their personalized recovery and health goals; maximizing their independence and improving their safety and happiness during their daily living.
Previously, I was working in a facility as an occupational therapist, however I felt as though I did not have a good work-life balance and decided to move care environments. Working with All About Care in the home health setting has allowed me the freedom to spend time with my family and also provide high quality care for my clients. We are allowed the freedom and flexibility to create our own schedules with our clients which is so important for that balance in life.
This degree of flexibility is equally beneficial for our clients. Every client has different needs and preferences, and our approach ensures their care is tailored to suit their needs. Some clients prefer to perform their ADL tasks in the morning, some the afternoon, for example. Clients also have physician appointments, dialysis, and other activities or tasks, so having that flexibility means we can accommodate their schedules.
I also love the skilled home health setting because we really get to see the results of our hard work almost on a daily basis. Forming a strong bond and a mutual understanding with a patient in the early stages of a care plan is key. Regardless of the diagnosis, I always try to take the “we’re in this together mentality” from the get-go and that plays a big role in their recovery. The combination of our knowledge and expertise coupled with the patient’s dedication and hard work is what leads to positive outcomes.
If we have clients who have experienced frequent falls in the shower or during bed mobility, we are able to conduct very detailed and specific in-home assessments. The collection of this detailed information means that we can rollout individualized training programs that take the actual home layout and the patients habits into consideration. When you really start to think about it, it is amazing how “particular” we are from morning till night. For example, do you realize how many preferences you have in your typical day? How do you like to perform your bathing? In the tub or shower? Do you prefer facing the water or facing away? sitting or standing? do you use one extremity to balance or steady yourself while performing bathing tasks with the other? The list can grow pretty quickly, but that is where we can help simplify the process and help the client and get them on a road to recovery that they are comfortable with.
I started working at All About Care after I had my first child. He was born prematurely and had an extended Neonatal Intensive Care stay. A few months ago, I just had my second child who was born 10 weeks early, he also had an extended Neonatal Intensive Care stay. He has now a full team of physicians, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech language pathologist, and nurses working as a team providing his medical care. Again, the support from our leadership combined with the flexibility of working in an in-home care environment provides me and my family with an invaluable work-life balance.
My advice for fellow mothers and fellow clinicians is to find a company that encourages doing what you love and spending time with your clients as well as spending time with your family. Having a balanced work-life schedule is imperative and being able to perform to the best of your ability when it comes to providing for our clients and providing for our families. I'm happy that I work for a company that allows time for our families as well as time to provide great treatment to our patients.
