An Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assessment analyses a person’s functional performance in the areas of personal self-care and general activities in and around the home including tasks such as cleaning, cooking and gardening. An Occupational Therapist determines the level and type of assistance the person requires in order to live as independently as possible.

Our ADL Assessments optimise function and performance by:

• Maximising an individuals ability to be independent;
• Minimising injury/aggravation in the home;
• Assisting to reduce periods of incapacity and disability; and
• Reducing the reliance on other more costly home help services.

We ensure that our assessments are:

• Objective: Clients will always be asked to demonstrate how they undertake tasks within the home. This allows the therapist to identify whether there is scope for improvement and enhanced performance by modifying the way the task is executed or if specialised equipment is required. Education on handling techniques will be provided to the individual during the assessment.
• Focused on empowering independence: We empower our clients to complete tasks independently by trialling and recommending equipment, provide functional education and training and develop an ADL upgrade program. This will assist with reducing our client’s dependence on gratuitous care or services.
• Provide expert clinical reasoning: when making recommendations relating to equipment and home modifications taking into consideration the ‘reasonable and necessary’ criteria.

At On Track Occupational Therapy we are passionate about empowering independence through innovative intervention programs. Following a comprehensive ADL Assessment our Therapists will develop individual tailored programs with clear SMART objectives to assist clients to achieve their life goals. We do this through the inclusion of the following:

• ADL Upgrade Programs:  On Track Occupational Therapy develop step-by-step programs to assist people to gradually return to their activities of daily living.  The ADL upgrade program will be endorsed by a General Practitioner or other Treating Practitioners to ensure that the program is in line with their medical restrictions and other treatment goals.  This encourages a person to increase their independence with daily tasks at home as they increase their functional capacity during their treatment programs (such as gym programs, work conditioning programs, physiotherapy and psychological treatment).
• Education: On Track Occupational Therapy is dedicated to educating people to improve their independence. We believe knowledge is power. We develop individually tailored functional education programs and will visit the home on a regular basis to teach people how to enhance their performance by modifying the way the task is executed,  provide specialised or lightweight equipment  and provide education on handling techniques.  We also educate our clients on self -pacing techniques.  To support these programs we provide clear and simple to follow functional education flyers with step-by-step information on how to complete the task.
• Equipment prescription: On Track Occupational Therapy has developed strong relationships with local equipment suppliers to arrange for equipment trials.  We pride ourselves on being the leaders in equipment prescription and we are always keeping our eyes on the market for innovative equipment that will assist our clients to be independent at home.

On Track Occupational Therapy Medico-legal Assessments assist to determine the impact of an injury on a person’s life, including activities at home, work and leisure. We provide independent and unbiased opinion for plaintiffs and defendants in motor accident, professional negligence, public liability and work-related injury or illness claims.

Medico-legal assessments and reporting process is based on a combination of a semi structured interview, functional skills assessment, the utilisation of suitable assessment tools and expert clinical reasoning. The assessment is conducted in the person’s home environment. The medico-legal assessment and report can focus on a broad range of issues and will be dependent upon the letter of instruction provided by the referrer.

On Track Occupational Therapy also conduct:

• TPD ADL Assessments to assist the insurer to determine a claimant’s capacity to complete home duties.
• Detailed worksite/work duties assessments to assist the insurer to understand the claimant’s pre-disability occupational and duties and their current employment and duties.

On Track Occupational Therapy provide evidence based proactive case management and intervention for claimants under CTP and Income Protection/Life Insurance frameworks.  Our intervention may include:

• Regular liaison with all key stakeholders including regular face to face reviews with claimants;
• Case conferences with General Practitioners and/or Specialists;
• Coordination of reasonable and necessary treatment;
• Occupational Therapy intervention including functional education, equipment prescription and home modifications;
• Development of Rehabilitation Plans with specific objective and measurable goals; and
• Worksite and Ergonomic Assessments and assistance with return to work.

All of our Occupational Therapists are MAA trained and understand the reasonable and necessary criteria.  They are also experienced and trained to understand both the NSW CTP and Income Protection/Life Insurance legislation.