Occupational Therapy

This unit provides therapy for clients with upper limb/ hand injuries. The rehabilitation goal is to assist clients to optimise their upper limb function in order to regain independence in their activities of daily living (ADL) and productivity.

Range of services include:

• Mobilisation exercises
• Splint fabrication
• Patient education such as ADL modification, joint protection advice

This unit aims to:

1. enable workers to return to work safely following an injury and/or medical condition and prevent re-injury at work.
2. provide workplace consultancy with organisations and their workers to maintain the highest quality of work life and reduce potential work injuries

Range of services include:

• Physical and cognitive assessment of worker's abilities
• Return-to-work Coordination
• Clinic-based work readiness training
• Work-site assessments and modifications
• Functional Capacity Evaluations
• A Functional Capacity Evaluation is a detailed examination and evaluation that objectively measures the individual's current level of function compared to the physical and cognitive demands of an occupation. It is a useful tool to make recommendations for return-to-work and disability determinations. It can be done as a pre-employment or re-employment assessment as well as for medico-legal or insurance claims purposes.
• Workplace consultancy services
• Development of customised injury or disability management programmes
• Customised educational talks and workshops on ergonomics, joint protection and stress management
• Individual consultations for work-related musculoskeletal disorders

This unit provides therapy for clients with lymphoedema, a type of swelling caused by malfunctioning lymphatic system.  This can be managed with manual lymphatic drainage, compression bandaging, compression garment and simple skin care.   Our certified therapist will provide and educate clients to perform manual lymphatic drainage, exercises, simple skin care, apply compression bandaging and garment.  The goal in this rehabilitation is to assist clients to reduce and/or maintain existing swelling to achieve optimal function so as to regain independence in their daily activities.

This unit caters to the elderly clients who may have conditions such as problems with memory, frequent falls or functional decline. The goal is to assist clients to reintegrate back to the community after a medical condition.

Range of services includes:

• Home safety assessment and recommendation for home modifications
• Caregiver education and training
• Assessment and re-training of self care activities
• Cognitive assessment and training
• Prescription and use of adaptive equipment

Occupational therapy for stroke patients

Stroke is a common condition and Occupational Therapists play a very vital role in the multidisciplinary care of a stroke patient. After a thorough assessment of the stroke patient's condition, the Occupational Therapist works with patients to achieve their rehabilitation goals.

The aims of interventions are to help patients regain independence as much as possible and to train caregivers as well. Common interventions include training patients in activities of daily living, cognitive strategies, use of the affected upper limb in functional activities and others. The following posters provide some tips for patients and caregivers.

Therapists in this unit treat clients with traumatic injuries and musculoskeletal conditions such as fractures, limb amputation, spinal injuries or arthritis. This may also include clients undergoing elective (planned) surgeries such as knee and hip replacement.

Services include:

• Assessment and re-training of self care activities
• Caregiver education and training
• Home assessments and modifications
• Prescription and use of adaptive equipment
• Wheelchair assessment and training
• Pain management

Download TKR Activity Recovery Guideline for Healthcare Professionals (3 MB, PDF)

With a rapidly ageing population in Singapore, the number of people with Parkinson's disease is expected to rise. Parkinson's disease greatly affects a person's lifestyle, including difficulties in performing activities of daily living, areas of self-care, work and leisure.

In Parkinson's disease rehabilitation, occupational therapy plays an important role in assisting the people with Parkinson's disease in improving or maintaining their ability to perform meaningful daily activities. Key Parkinson's disease rehabilitation strategies are based on "ABCDE" rehabilitation approaches, which are developed by Tan Tock Seng Hospital and National Neuroscience Institute.

"ABCDE" rehabilitation approaches are:

1. Allocate sufficient time
2. Break down the task
3. Concentration/conscious attention
4. Dual task avoided
5. External cue and adaptation

Download PDF (360 kb)

General Medicine rehabilitation provides therapy for clients with complex medical conditions such as multi-systemic disease and chronic medical conditions. The goal of rehabilitation is to provide care that targets functional decline, symptom control, and lifestyle modifications. This will enable clients to optimise functional abilities, participation in daily life and regain their sense of autonomy in performing activities of daily living to lead a meaningful life.

Range of services include:

• Comprehensive functional assessment
• Activities of Daily Living & Cognitive Retraining
• Prescription and use of adaptive equipment
• Patient and caregiver education and training
• Home assessment and modification

The Driving Assessment and Rehabilitation Program (DARP) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital aims to assist clients with medical conditions to learn or return to driving.  The DARP therapist specialises in assessing a client's ability to return to driving safely and legally, based on the Medical Guidelines on Fitness to Drive (Singapore Medical Association, 2011) and the requirements of Traffic Police (Road Traffic Act).

Who is DARP for?

• Clients with a valid driving licence prior to their medical condition and would like to return to driving.
• Clients with medical conditions but no previous driving licence and would like to learn to drive. The DARP therapist will advise on the driving licence application process and introduce suitable vehicle modifications to suit the clients' needs.

Who can Benefit From DARP?

• Clients with physical conditions such as limb weakness and disability, amputation, spinal cord injury and progressive neurological conditions.
• Clients with cognitive impairments from brain injury, dementia and stroke.
• Clients with congenital and childhood illnesses such as cerebral palsy and polio.

How does the DARP Work?

To start with DARP, a client has to be first referred by a registered doctor.

DARP clients go through a structured process to ensure their safety on the road and that of other road users. The following lists the key milestones of the DARP process:

• Off Road Assessment: The client will be interviewed on their medical condition(s) and driving experience. The client's physical, cognitive and visual abilities required for driving will be assessed.
• On Road Assessment: This will be conducted by the DARP therapist with a certified driving instructor. On Road Assessment for Class 2, 3, 4 and 5 vehicles are available.
• DARP Report: Upon completion of the above two assessment types, a detailed report will be sent to the client, physician and other relevant organisations (if applicable) to advise on the client's ability to return/learn to drive.
• Follow-up: If there is a need for driving lessons or re-assessment, the DARP therapist will follow-up accordingly.

Other Driving Assessment Services

Driving Transition Programme

• To help drivers and their family plan and adapt to the changes brought about by driving cessation.

To make an appointment or for further enquiries:
Tel: 68894848, Fax: 68894856

Download PDF (1.3 mb)

Oncology and palliative rehabilitation provides therapy for clients with oncology diagnosis and those who are living with life-threatening illness such as end stage organ failure. Clients with cancer and those suffering from end stage organ failure may have symptoms that may interfere with their activities of daily living, work and leisure. The goal of rehabilitation is to provide care that targets symptoms management in daily living and to help clients to maximise function at the different phases of illness.

Range of services include:

• Symptoms management (Fatigue, breathlessness and anxiety)
• Assessment and re-training of self-care activities
• Prescription and use of adaptive equipment
• Patient and caregiver education and training
• Exploration of goals and leisure activities

Occupational Therapists (OTs) often work with people living with chronic conditions.

They play an important role in providing self-management support, to achieve the person's health goals through engaging in meaningful activities. This includes facilitating individuals to gain skills and confidence to live well with one or more chronic conditions. These skills may be generic or specific to the medical conditions that the person has.

Occupational Therapists support patients with chronic conditions in self-management, for example:

• Diabetes mellitus
• Heart conditions
• Repetitive strain injuries
• Arthritis
• Low vision
• Stroke
• Mild memory problems

Download PDF (1.4 mb)

What is Occupational Therapy Low Vision Rehabilitation?

Low vision is a visual impairment that affects performance of daily activities, such as reading and writing. However, people with low vision still have some remaining vision that can be used for daily activities. The aim of Occupational Therapy low vision rehabilitation is to enable people with low vision to efficiently use their remaining vision and/or implement compensatory strategies in order to continue participating in daily activities and live productive and independent lives.

Who will benefit from this service?

Individuals with low vision who have problems with daily activities and wish to continue doing these activities will benefit from this service. Eye conditions that may result in low vision include

• Macular Degeneration
• Glaucoma
• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Traumatic or Acquired Brain Injury

Range of services include:

• Visual and functional assessments
• Training on skills to use remaining vision more efficiently for daily activities
• Use of assistive technology for daily living
• Home modification to increase safety and independence
• Orientation and Mobility

Download PDF (700 kb)

Pain management rehabilitation provides therapy to clients with chronic pain. The goal of rehabilitation is to enable individuals to continue with meaningful daily activities or explore new ones, despite pain. Occupational Therapist collaborates with other healthcare professionals to improve functional abilities of client from biopsychosocial aspects.

Range of services include:

• Pain education
• Desensitisation
• Manual therapy, such as myofascial release
• Graded activity training
• Advice on activities modification, such as pacing, ergonomics, joint protection techniques
• Prescription of adaptive devices or orthosis
• Work integration services