How OT's help
Fatigue can be the result of illness or accident and can also occur during recovery from surgery. In other cases, fatigue seems to have no obvious cause but can nonetheless lead to problems in day-to-day life and relationships.
Some of the most common areas of difficulty caused by excessive fatigue that we can help you overcome include:
- Meeting familial responsibilities such as looking after children and maintaining a home
- Performing job responsibilities
- Cultivating friendships and social activities
- Maintaining motivation and concentration
- Avoiding falls
- Maintaining mobility, especially if accompanied by acute or chronic pain
Our assessment process allows a specialist occupational therapist to identify all such problems, make recommendations to reduce them and (if desired) arrange for any recommended changes to be made.
Our approach
Our aim is to provide practical and cost-effective solutions to managing your fatigue. Our assessment may involve looking at:
- Your physical, medical and social history to identify the reason for current levels of fatigue
- Present and future degrees of mobility, strength, pain and general health
- The home environment and its influence on your energy level
- Your daily routine, and that of those you care for or who care for you
- Your own, your family's or your carer's specific goals and wishes
Common recommendations
Some practical solutions that we may recommend to help you manage your fatigue include:
- A graded approach to activity
- Relaxation techniques
- Recognising warning signs that you need to rest
- Sleeping routines
- Daily task planning and management
We can help with
If required we can also provide:
- A fatigue management programme, involving six weekly sessions with an occupational therapist to provide you with the skills you need to manage your activity and fatigue
- Training for family and carers on the principles of fatigue management and how best to support you
- A tailored activity programme to ensure that you pace yourself effectively and incorporate sufficient rest into your routine