Since Mindra Perez sees first-hand how rehabilitation can lead to a better quality of life for elders at SunPorch of Dodge City, she wanted to share information with the community during April, Occupational Therapy Month.
Perez is a certified occupational therapist at the short-and long-term care residence.
“It is great that SunPorch elders have easy access to occupational therapy (OT) right here onsite,” Perez said. “OT gives our elders the chance to reach their highest potential and maintain as much independence as possible.
“They enjoy an enhanced quality of life when they can do more activities on their own.”
OT focuses on activities of daily living, which include eating, dressing, personal hygiene, and getting in and out of bed.
“We evaluate elders’ needs and then customize our OT sessions to help them reach their individual goals,” Perez explained. “But the overall goals are always to increase independence and improve quality of life.”
Any person, of any age, who has difficulty performing daily tasks is a good candidate for OT, Perez said, noting there are different goals for OT and physical therapy.
For example, a physical-therapy patient may have a goal to walk 100 feet to enhance strength and balance. But in OT, a patient may want to walk a certain distance to perform activities such as getting to the SunPorch dining room or reaching the bathroom.
Perez has been offering therapy to SunPorch elders for just a couple of months but she already calls it “a great experience. The therapists, nurses and nurse’s aides provide exceptional care. It is obvious they really care about the people here.
“And just as an aside, the food here is great. This is a major factor in our elders’ quality of life.”
For Perez, the environment at SunPorch and the personal care elders receive combine to give her a rewarding job.
“I always wanted a job that gave me a reason to get up in the morning,” she said. “It is quite an amazing feeling to know that elders are now able to feed themselves or go to the bathroom on their own because of OT. You can just see how much happier they are.”
