What is occupational therapy?
Occupational Therapists help people participate in their daily activities through the therapeutic use of common activities (known as occupations). Typical examples of occupational therapy include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, assisting people recovering from injury to regain skills for independence, and providing support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.
Prepare for your occupational therapy visit
Welcome to Tahoe Forest Hospital Therapy Services! Whether you are a returning or new client, we are honored and privileged that you have entrusted your care in our team. We understand you have a decision where to receive therapy services and our mission is to serve you with the very best care you have grown to expect.
As a community district hospital service, we are committed to providing the best care to give you the perfect patient experience. We have three outpatient therapy departments serving Truckee, Incline Village, and Tahoe City. We are pleased to provide hospital-based services that include Inpatient Therapy, Wound Therapy, Skilled Nursing, and Home Health Therapy services. Within the various departments, we provide a highly experienced group of specialized physical, occupational, and speech therapists that distinguish our team as leaders in the field. Our goal is to make your outcome successful and exceed your goals in a timely manner.
Our therapy team extends beyond the therapists to our valued support staff. Patient Registration, Centralized Scheduling, Billing, Compliance, Patient Safety, and Quality are all departments that contribute to the success of our Therapy Team. Please reach out to any member with questions and they will either answer your questions or kindly direct you to the appropriate person.
We are driven by compassionate providers that are empathetic to your needs and will deliver purposeful, efficient treatments to help get you back in action as quickly and safely as possible. I expect you to see what makes our service the best!
Thank you for choosing Tahoe Forest Hospital Therapy services.
Sincerely,
Ryan Solberg, MSPT, OCS, CPed
Director of Operations- Tahoe Forest Therapy Services
- During the evaluation your therapist will ask questions about your medical history, current pain, or injury. Open communication helps us understand your problem.
- Your movement, strength, coordination, and much more may be evaluated. Our purpose is to help you, so please ensure you communicate to your therapist if anything is hurting or bothering you during the examination.
- Your therapist will recommend and prepare a course of treatments to ensure the quickest recovery and the best results. Your therapist will discuss the recommendations and goals with you.
- You will likely receive some treatments on the first day to get you started on your road to recovery. However, during the next visit you will get into the full swing of your treatment plan.
- You may be issued a home program which may include education, modifications of activities, and exercises appropriate for your condition. You may receive this verbally, on paper, or via an email through MedBridge Home programs.
- Your therapist will write up their findings and treatment plan to submit to your referring physician. These findings include a frequency and duration of treatment. Be sure to ask your therapist this information to help you schedule! Keep in mind your referral will have an expiration date.
- If you have any questions at any time, please don’t hesitate to call our office. We want to ensure your satisfaction and full recovery.
- After your therapy visit, you will schedule a series of visits with the Access Representative. The amount of therapy needed will depend on the recommendations of your therapist. We offer many convenient appointment times, however prime times can become busy. We recommend you book in advance about two weeks for ease of making appointments with your therapist.
- Please keep your appointments and provide 24 hours notice if you need to cancel. We frequently have a waiting list! Your therapist and fellow patients will appreciate this courtesy.
How much time to plan for your therapy appointments
- The first visit is typically 45-60 minutes with 15-20 minutes at the end for any modalities that are found to be appropriate for your condition.
- Treatments following the Initial Evaluation will consist of 20-40 minutes of direct, one-on-one, individualized patient care, and may include 15-20 minutes of modalities, as deemed medically necessary by your Therapist.
- Frequency, session duration, treatment techniques, and modalities may change as deemed appropriate by your Therapist according to your needs during each session.
Please Note: It is not unusual to experience a temporary setback in your condition following the initial session. The process of performing a thorough exam, as well as conducting initial treatments, may lead to some acute inflammatory processes. This should subside and will become less of an issue during subsequent treatment sessions.
How to get the most out of your therapy appointments
Arrive at the indicated time for your appointment. Arriving late not only affects your one on one time with your therapist, but may affect the time of your fellow patients. If your therapist has not seen you within 10 minutes of your scheduled, time, please let the check in desk know!
Communicate with your therapist about how you are feeling that day as well as how you felt after your last appointment. This helps provide the best treatment possible.
Observe precautions as instructed. This may include modifying an activity, reducing weight on 1 limb while walking, avoiding certain movements, or restricting use of a specific body part. Lack of compliance with treatment precautions may cause injury and result in delayed recovery.
Follow the home program as instructed by the therapist. Commitment to the home program is essential to your recovery. If the instructions are unclear, ask for clarification. Perform exercises at the therapist-specified repetition, frequency, and resistance (such as weight or resistance band color). More is not always better and may cause injury!
After your therapy care is completed, continue to follow the after-care instructions provided by the physical therapist.
You may receive a survey during or after your course of therapy. Please fill these out so we may continually improve our services.
My Chart is available at Tahoe Forest Therapy Services. We recommend you utilize this feature for your health records. You may receive messages or questionnaires through this portal. Ask for assistance if you need help setting up My Chart.
Hi, my name is Maya Shaanan, and I’ve been an occupational therapist in the Tahoe Forest Health System for a little over a year now. I love being an occupational therapist because I get to help people, kids, adults, and older adults, be able to do what matters most to them. An occupational therapist or OT helps people participate in everyday activities that matter to them, whether it be after an illness, injury, diagnosis, or life change. That may mean helping people get dressed, learn how to cook again, or move around their house safely. We also work with older adults to ensure that they’re safe at home, as well as kids who may be having trouble with writing, playing, or even focusing.
At Tahoe Forest Therapy Services, we work with everyone and their families to ensure that we figure out what matters most to them. And then we create a plan using evidence-based practice, research, problem solving, and creativity to come up with tools, strategies, and different activities that will help them be able to participate and reach their goals. The best part of my job is when I get to see someone be able to do something that they couldn’t do before, whether it be tying their shoes, be able to feed themselves, or be able to move around their house more confidently.
If you or someone you love is having trouble participating in your everyday activities, occupational therapy may be able to help. For more information, please visit our website. My name is Maya. I’m one of the occupational therapists at our outpatient rehab services.
