Adult Resources
These resources will help you or your loved one in making the most of their recovery! Use these resources at home in order to supplement occupational therapy services in order to maximize therapeutic benefits. Speak to your therapist if you have any questions regarding any of the following resources.
Hemiplegia
What is hemiplegia?
Hemiplegia (sometimes called hemiparesis) is a condition that affects one side of the body. We talk about a right or left hemiplegia, depending on the side affected. It is caused by injury to parts of the brain that control movements of the limbs, trunk, face, etc.This is common in conditions such as stroke or brain injury.
Hemiplegia Resources
One-Handed Techniques
Tips
The stroke dressing technique - Always dress your weak side first and when undressing take the clothes off the weak side last.
Choose clothing with Velcro and snap fasteners, rather than buttons or zips.
As a general rule loose fitting clothes are easier to put on and take off as they allow more room for maneuvering.
Slip on or Velcro fastening shoes are preferable to those that tie with laces, however elastic shoe laces can make it easier to put on and take off shoes and trainers.
A button hook is a useful device which allows the user to tie buttons using one hand.
Hook or clip earrings are much easier to put on than earrings with backs.
During cold weather it is easier to wear a mitt on your affected hand. Gloves can be awkward and time consuming to put on.
Bras- Putting on a bra can be one of the most difficult and frustrating things to do using one hand.Over the head/sports bras and front tying bras are easier to put on and take off. Replacing fasteners with Velcro can also make things easier.
Upper Body Dressing
Hemi-Dressing (T-Shirt)
Hemi-Dressing (Bra)
Lower Body Dressing
Hemi-Dressing Pants
One Handed Typing
Typing one handed can be challenging but can be achieved with practice! Tell your OT that you would like to work on one handed typing. Here is a handy graphic showing what fingers of your unaffected hand are responsible for what keys when typing one handed.
Left Neglect vs. Visual Field Cut
What is the difference?
Left Neglect
Left neglect is an attention issue which often manifests in the visual attention domain, but is not a issue with vision itself. It is associated with an injury to the right side of the brain. With left neglect, the brain fails to pay attention to information to the left side of the survivor.
If you ask a survivor with left neglect to turn his or her head all the way to the right, he or she will generally turn until the chin reaches the right shoulder. However if you ask the same survivor to turn to the left, he or she may only bring the chin half-way to the the left shoulder despite fully understanding the request and giving a best effort to fulfill it.
It is almost as if the survivor’s brain is saying, “the left side of the world does not exist.” The survivor’s eyesight can be perfectly intact, yet his or her brain is ignoring information generated from the left side. This ignoring is not voluntary; as far as the survivor is consciously aware, he or she did look all the way to the left even though an outside observer can clearly see that the survivor did not make it all the way over. Again, though it appears functionally as if the survivor has lost vision, the underlying issue is one of attention.
Visual Field Cut
Also known as hemianopsia, this condition manifests as loss of vision one half of their side vision to the left or right. Patients who just have a hemianopsia are aware of the side vision loss and often can be easily taught to scan their eyes in the direction of the hemianopsia, in order to compensate for the field loss. This allows them to not miss things on the side of the hemianopsia.
Home Safety
Utilize the following resources to see if your home is safe for you and your loved one. Using the helpful strategies will also help prevent falls and injuries.
