Neurological Conditions

Neurological conditions results from damage to the brain, spinal column or nerves, caused by illness or injury. Many of the exact causes of neurological conditions are not yet known. Some neurological conditions and life-long and people can experience onset at any time in their lives. Others, such as cerebral palsy, are present from birth. Some conditions, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, commonly appear in early childhood, some, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease affect mainly older people.

There are also conditions which have a sudden onset due to injury or illness, such as a head injury or stroke, or cancers of the brain and spine. Some neurodegenerative condition, such as multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease, affect people mainly in adulthood and will cause deterioration over time, affecting a person's quality of life and their ability to live independently.

Some neurological conditions are life threating, most of them severely affect people's quality of life and many causes life-long disability. Caring for someone with a debilitating illness often means that carers have to give up their own employment, in addition to the person with the condition being unable to continue to be economically active. This will have a devastating impact on the family's economic situation.

Our Occupational Therapists are dedicated to empowering individuals with neurological conditionslive a full and nourishing life. With the skills to modify environments our Occupational Therapist will enable individual's with a neurological conditions do the things they what and need to do.

Problems associated with neurological conditions

Neurological conditions are very poorly understood by the general public. Many people with a neurological condition experience feelings of fatigue, along with other symptoms, all of which can affect their ability to complete the following day to day activities:

• Washing and dressing
• Mobilising inside and outside the home
• Driving
• Work activities
• Sleeping
• Leisure and social activities
• Household duties- cooking and cleaning
• Climb the stairs

There are many treatment approaches our Occupational Therapists can adopt when treating individuals with a neurological condition. All of which aim to increase levels of independence and theoverall life satisfaction of the individual. Our Occupational Therapists will assess an individual's condition thoroughly and determine the level of impact it is having on their day to day functioning. Once the problems have been identified and a therapeutic plan will be created together with the Occupational Therapist.

What exactly is neurological condition?

Neurological disorders can be described as diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. The brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, cranial nerves, nerve roots, autonomic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, and muscles make up the above systems.

Alzheimer's disease,epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease which includes Stroke, migraine and other headache disorders, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, brain tumours, traumatic disorders of the nervous system (brain trauma) and neurological disorders resulting from malnutrition are all examples of neurological disorders.

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are affected by neurological disorders.

Occupational Therapy assessments suitable for a neurological condition

Our Occupational Therapy assessment process takes into account the individuals opinions and those of the carers, if relevant. This allows for accurate and pure information to be gathered in order to develop an appropriate treatment plan which meets the needs of each and every individual, some of the most common assessments completed with individuals with a neurological condition are:

• Cognitive assessments
• Housing assessment
• Seating assessment
• Functional assessment
• Activities of daily living assessments
• Aids and adaptations assessment
• Risk assessment

Occupational therapy treatment available

Our Occupational Therapy treatments promote an individual's health and well-being through the use of day to day activities such as, washing, dressing, cooking and cleaning. Our therapists are highly experienced and provide practical and emotional support to facilitate recovery and overcome the barriers that prevent them from doing activities they need and want to do. Treatments for individuals with a long term conditions aim to increase an individual's life satisfaction and increase their:

• Functional independence
• Social interaction
• Safety
• Pain management

Our Occupational Therapy treatments have been proven to make dramatic changes to the lives of those with neurological conditions. They are tailored to meet the needs of each and every individual we treat and are also extremely flexible and can be carried out here in one of our clinics or in the comfort of your own home.

Summary

Living with a neurological condition can be extremely hard and affect an individual's day to day living significantly. Our Occupational Therapists are highly knowledgeable when working with individuals with a neurological condition and have the practical skills needed to increase the levels of independence in those with a neurological condition.

How to arrange to see an occupational therapist?

If you feel you would from one of our Occupational Therapy interventions then please feel free to email us with your enquires at office@londonot.co.uk or Call us on 02033 937 332