Living Well at the End of Life:
Helping you stay comfortable, connected, and engaged with the things that matter.
When someone is living with a serious or life-limiting illness, the goals of care can change.
Sometimes the goal is recovery.
Sometimes the goal is maintaining independence.
And sometimes the goal becomes comfort, connection, dignity, and making the most of the time that remains.
Occupational therapy can help throughout that process.
I’ll Stay Home helps people with serious illness continue participating in meaningful daily activities, adapt to changing abilities, manage the physical demands of everyday life, and make their home work for them.
The goal isn't always to do more. Sometimes it's to make the things that matter most possible.
Call 614-500-4012 to learn more about in-home occupational therapy.
Serving Columbus Ohio and the surrounding communities.
Prefer to call or text? 614-500-4012
What does OT do with people who are on palliative care or hospice?
Occupational therapy is about helping people participate in the activities that give their lives meaning.
That doesn't change when someone becomes seriously ill.
What may change is what matters most.
Being able to shower independently
Sitting comfortably at the kitchen table
Spending time in the garden
Getting dressed for a family gathering
Being able to get outside
Playing with grandchildren
Reading
Listening to music
Maintaining a favorite hobby
Communicating with loved ones
Staying in their own home
OT starts by asking:
What matters to you right now?
Then we look at what might make that possible.
How can OT help with palliative care and hospice?
Focus energy on what matters most to you
Make everyday activities more comfortable
Pain management during daily activities
Help you stay in your home
Support meaningful activities and hobbies
Train family and caregivers to support
When should someone consider OT during palliative care or hospice?
In-home OT can be helpful when:
Everyday activities are becoming harder
Fatigue is limiting participation
Pain makes activities difficult
Transfers are becoming more difficult
Someone is spending more time in bed or a chair
Bathing or toileting has become challenging
The home needs to accommodate changing abilities
A caregiver is taking on more responsibilities
Someone wants to remain at home
A meaningful activity is becoming difficult
Someone wants to conserve energy for family or other priorities
The person or family wants to prepare for anticipated changes
The focus of care has shifted from independence toward comfort and quality of life
You don't have to wait until something to becomes a crisis, you don't have to do it all alone.
What to expect during an in-home occupational therapy evaluation:
1. Talk About What Has Changed
We'll discuss how your energy, endurance, routines, activities and priorities have changed and evolved.
2. Assessment With Your Occupational Therapist in Your Home
We'll look at how your abilities, environment and everyday activities interact.
3. Identify What's Getting in the Way
Together, we'll identify activities, routines or environmental factors that are making daily life more difficult.
4. Develop Practical Strategies
Recommendations may include activity modification, energy conservation, routines, adaptive equipment, home modifications, caregiver education or other occupational therapy interventions.
5. Decide What Comes Next
We'll help you determine which strategies make sense for you and whether additional occupational therapy or another member of your healthcare team may be helpful.
Stay Empowered: Ensure your goals and priorities are heard and supported
Be Prepared: Learn strategies to support your changing function before abilities and needs change
Maximize your time: Use your time and energy how you want.
OT doesn't always mean doing more
This is especially important in palliative and end-of-life care.
Traditional rehabilitation often focuses on restoring function or increasing independence.
Those may still be appropriate goals.
But they aren't the only goals.
If someone has limited energy, they may decide that independently showering is less important than having enough energy to sit with their grandchildren.
If getting dressed takes too much energy, they may choose comfortable clothing and accept assistance.
If someone wants to spend their remaining energy on a favorite activity, OT can help make that choice possible.
The question isn't always, "How can we help you do more?"
Sometimes it's:
"What is worth doing?"
Help for the family and caregivers:
OT can help caregivers learn practical ways to assist with daily activities while also considering their own physical and emotional demands.
You don't have to spend your time trying to figure out how to help, what to change, or whether you're doing things the right way. I'll Stay Home brings trained occupational therapy expertise to the situation, helping you find practical strategies that work for both you and your loved one—so you can spend less time figuring it all out and more time simply being together.
Why choose I'll Stay Home?
Your Goals. Your Choices. Your Life.
When your health is changing, having the right information and support can help you remain involved in the decisions that affect your everyday life.
I'll Stay Home Provides:
-Licensed occupational therapy
-Mobile services in your home
-Evidence-informed assessment and recommendations
-A client-centered approach
-Proactive rather than crisis driven services
Our goal is to help you maximize your safety, independence and quality of life while keeping you in control of the decisions that affect your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is occupational therapy appropriate for someone receiving hospice care?Can occupational therapy help people with heart failure?
Yes.
OT can be appropriate during hospice when the goal is to support comfort, meaningful activities, participation, caregiver needs, and quality of life.
The goals of therapy may be very different from traditional rehabilitation.
Isn't occupational therapy about becoming more independent?How can OT help with heart failure fatigue?
Not always.
Independence can be an important goal, but in palliative and end-of-life care, the most important goal may instead be comfort, connection, conserving energy, or participating in a meaningful activity.
OT helps you decide what matters most and find ways to support it.
Can OT help with pain?
OT does not replace medical pain management.
However, OT can help identify ways to make activities more comfortable through positioning, pacing, activity modification, environmental changes, and adaptive equipment.
Can OT help someone who is very weak?
Yes.
The goal doesn't necessarily have to be strengthening.
OT may instead focus on making activities easier, reducing energy demands, improving positioning, increasing comfort, or helping someone participate with assistance.
Can OT help someone stay at home?
Yes.
OT can evaluate the home environment and daily activities and help identify practical strategies, equipment, and modifications that may support remaining at home.
Can OT help family caregivers?
Yes.
OT can provide education about assisting with daily activities, positioning, transfers, equipment, routines, and environmental changes.
The goal is to help caregivers provide the right level of support while respecting the person's preferences and abilities.
What if the person's goals change?
That's okay.
Goals can change as illness progresses.
Someone may initially want to maintain independence with bathing, for example, and later decide that having a family member help is preferable so they can save their energy for something else.
OT can adapt as priorities change.
Is this home health?
No.
I’ll Stay Home provides mobile outpatient occupational therapy.
You do not need to be homebound to receive services. Therapy takes place in your home because that's where your everyday activities happen.
If you are receiving hospice services, OT may also be provided through or coordinated with your hospice team depending on your individual situation and coverage.
Do I need a doctor's referral?
A physician referral/order may be needed depending on your insurance and how services are being billed.
If you're unsure whether OT is appropriate or how to get started, call 614-500-4012 and we can talk through the next step.
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Serving Columbus and the Surrounding Areas
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER:
All information on this website is intended for instruction and informational purposes only. The authors are not responsible for any harm or injury that may result. Significant injury risk is possible if you do not follow due diligence and seek suitable professional advice about your injury.
No guarantees of specific results are expressly made or implied on this website.
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