Gerontology Occupational Therapist
Ms. Donna Hoover is a Gerontology Occupational Therapist in Chester, CT
with special training and skill in increasing the quality of life and independence of patients with disabilities, trauma, or sicknesses that restrict their ability to perform simple and complex everyday activities.
As a Gerontology Occupational Therapist, Donna Hoover, MS, OT-RL performs
ability assessments, fall prevention environmental modifications, safe movement strategies, longevity education, and emotional support. Gerontology Occupational Therapy is
used to help the elderly stay as functional and independent as possible. Significant diseases and conditions treated by
Gerontology Occupational Therapists include arthritis, hearing loss, vision loss, balance loss, post-stroke paralysis, ALS, dementia, and Alzheimer's.
Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Gerontology Occupational Therapists
include identifying patientu2019s weaknesses, strengths, and risk factors; assessing cognitive function which affects the ability to learn new, safer ways of doing daily tasks; and crafting environment modification and physical therapy protocols.
Occupational therapists work with older adults in virtually every setting: assisted living, wellness programs, hospitals, nursing homes, senior centers, clinics and in the home. Occupational therapists bring an understanding of the importance of participation and occupation for overall well-being to those who are experiencing disabling conditions related to aging. The primary overarching goal of occupational therapy services with this population is to maximize independence and participation, thereby enabling an older person to continue to live successfully in his or her chosen environment. Occupational therapists can help older adults by developing strategies to help or maintain safety and well-being, to assist with life transitions, and to compensate for challenges they experience in activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, leisure participation, social participation, and productive activities.
Gerontology Occupational Therapists in Chester, CT
Human Factors Occupational Therapist
Human Factors Occupational Therapists in Chester, CT
Occupational Therapist
Ms. Donna Hoover is an Occupational Therapist in Chester, CT
with special training and skill in holistically treating injured, ill, or disabled patients through therapeutic activities that help them develop, recover, improve, and maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.
As an Occupational Therapist, Donna Hoover, MS, OT-RL performs
rehabilitation of patients with mental, emotional, and physical disabilities by planning and administering medically prescribed occupational therapy. Occupational Therapy is
physiological treatment of patients recuperating from physical or mental illness that encourages rehabilitation through the performance of activities required in daily life. Significant diseases and conditions treated by
Occupational Therapists include work related upper extremity injuries, amputees and people with special prosthetics, stroke or heart attack victims, arthritis, multiple sclerosis or permanent disabilities patients, patients with head injuries and mental disabilities, severe burn and spinal cord trauma patients.
Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Occupational Therapists
include individualized evaluation to determine the patient's goals; customized intervention to improve the patient's ability to perform daily activities, and outcome evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or intervention plan adjusted.
An occupational therapist is a person who has graduated from an entry-level occupational therapy program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or predecessor organizations, or approved by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT), or an equivalent international occupational therapy education program; has successfully completed a period of supervised fieldwork experience required by the occupational therapy program; has passed a nationally recognized entry-level examination for occupational therapists, and fulfills state requirements for licensure, certification, or registration. An occupational therapist provides interventions based on evaluation and which emphasize the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (i.e., occupations) with individuals or groups for the purpose of facilitating participation in roles and situations and in home, school, workplace, community and other settings. Occupational therapy services are provided for the purpose of promoting health and wellness and are provided to those who have or are at risk for developing an illness, injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation, or participation restriction. Occupational therapists address the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of occupational performance in a variety of contexts to support engagement in everyday life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life.
Occupational Therapists in Chester, CT
Environmental Modification Occupational Therapist
Ms. Donna Hoover is an Environmental Modification Occupational Therapist in Chester, CT
with special training and skill in environmental modification beyond that of a general occupational therapist.
As an Environmental Modification Occupational Therapist, Donna Hoover, MS, OT-RL performs
modification of a patient's home, work, or school environment. Environmental Modification Occupational Therapy is
the change or adaptation of a patient's environment to ensure their safety and independence in performing daily activities. Significant diseases and conditions treated by
Environmental Modification Occupational Therapists include impaired senses, arthritis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, and stroke.
Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Environmental Modification Occupational Therapists
include analyzing a patient's environmental needs and disruptors, strengthening a patient's skills, providing patients with devices and assistive technology, and consulting during new construction or building rehab projects.
Occupational therapy practitioners are experts at identifying the cause of difficulties in performance of activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Occupational therapy practitioners evaluate the client, their environment, and their occupational performance in that environment, as well as make recommendations for products to improve the fit between the client, place, and activity. Occupational therapists can evaluate both the skills of the client and the environmental features that support or limit the performance of meaningful or necessary activities, thereby enhancing health, safety and well-being. Based on this assessment, they recommend modification and intervention strategies that improve the fit between the person and his or her environment.
Environmental Modification Occupational Therapists in Chester, CT
Feeding, Eating & Swallowing Occupational Therapist
Ms. Donna Hoover is a Feeding, Eating & Swallowing Occupational Therapist in Chester, CT
with special training and skill in holistically evaluating and resolving eating and swallowing dysfunctions by addressing environmental, cultural, physiological, and psychosocial interventions.
As a Feeding, Eating & Swallowing Occupational Therapist, Donna Hoover, MS, OT-RL performs
holistic care in neonatal intensive care units, outpatient clinics, rehabilitation hospitals, mental health facilities, nursing facilities, and hospices. Feeding, Eating & Swallowing Occupational Therapy is
comprehensive management of feeding, eating, and swallowing challenges. Significant diseases and conditions treated by
Feeding, Eating & Swallowing Occupational Therapists include difficulty raising food to the mouth, aspiration, dementia, and psychologically based eating disorders.
Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Feeding, Eating & Swallowing Occupational Therapists
include videofluoroscopy, ultrasonography, electromyography, swallowing technique education, behavior modification program, environmental modification, providing adaptive equipment, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation.
Occupational therapists provide interventions to clients of all ages with feeding, eating and swallowing difficulties. Occupational therapists provide comprehensive rehabilitative, habilitative, and palliative dysphagia care, which includes collaborating with clients to provide individualized compensatory swallowing strategies, modified diet textures, adapted mealtime environments, enhanced feeding skills, preparatory exercises and positioning to clients, reinforcement of mealtime strategies to enhance and improve swallowing skills, and training to caregivers to enhance eating and feeding performance. Occupational therapists provide screening and in-depth clinical assessment which may include instrumental dysphagia assessments including videofluroscopy.
Feeding Eating Swallowing Occupational Therapists in Chester, CT
Low Vision Occupational Therapy Assistant
Occupational therapy assistants contribute to the completion of an individualized occupational therapy low-vision evaluation under the direction and supervision of the occupational therapist to identify factors that may facilitate, compensate for, or inhibit use of vision in occupational performance. Clients are engaged in the identification of strengths, limitations, and goals as they relate to low vision to optimize independence and participation in desired occupations. Occupational therapy assistants also contribute to the development and implementation of an individualized occupational therapy low-vision intervention plan in collaboration with the occupational therapist, client, and relevant others that reflects the client's priorities for occupational performance.
Low Vision Occupational Therapy Assistants in Chester, CT
Physical Rehabilitation Occupational Therapist
Ms. Donna Hoover is a Physical Rehabilitation Occupational Therapist in Chester, CT
with special training and skill in helping patients regain lost mobility after an illness, injury, or impairment.
As a Physical Rehabilitation Occupational Therapist, Donna Hoover, MS, OT-RL performs
physical exercises centered on helping patients regain physical strength, mobility, flexibility, and independence while reducing or eliminating related pain. Physical Rehabilitation Occupational Therapy is
a medical specialty focusing on helping patients regain physical strength and mobility lost or impaired due to illness or injury. Significant diseases and conditions treated by
Physical Rehabilitation Occupational Therapists include injury or impairment after traumatic illness or injury such as stroke, brain damage, and spinal cord injury, post-surgical recovery, athletic injury, impairment from congenital birth defects, and chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis (MS).
Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Physical Rehabilitation Occupational Therapists
include diagnostic imaging, mobility and pain assessment, physical exercise planning and execution, assistive devices and technology, medical massage, and patient education.
Occupational therapists are experts at helping people lead as independent a life as possible. Occupational therapists bring an understanding of the physical and psychological implications of illness and injury and their effects on peoples' ability to perform the tasks of daily living. Occupational therapists provide interventions that can aide a person in completing ADL and IADL tasks, such as dressing, bathing, preparing meals, and driving. They also may fabricate custom orthotics to improve function, evaluate the environment for safety hazards and recommend adaptations to remove those hazards, help a person compensate for cognitive changes, and build a persons' physical endurance and strength. Occupational therapists' knowledge of adapting tasks and modifying the environment to compensate for functional limitations is used to increase the involvement of clients and to promote safety and success.
Physical Rehabilitation Occupational Therapists in Chester, CT
