Primary care Occupational therapy (OT) aims to keep clients independent and safe in their home by adapting everyday activities.
Who benefits from Occupational Therapy?
People who have difficulties completing their activities of daily life. They may have some of the following conditions:
- Chronic health conditions
- A suspected or diagnosed dementia or memory problem
- Neurological disorders and disabilities, for example brain injury, MS, MND, Parkinson’s Disease
- Older adults who need assistance to engage with activities
- Adults who have sustained a physical injury that has reduced their ability to be independent
- Persons requiring end of life care or palliative care
What does a Primary Care Occupational Therapist do?
- Assess and adapt activities to maximise your independence. Activities of daily living might include transfers from bed, chair, toilet, personal care, domestic activities and activities outside the home.
- Advise how to simplify dressing, bathing or kitchen tasks if these have become challenging.
- Where required provide aids to support independence
- Wheelchair assessment and provision including seating and postural management and pressure area management.
- Signpost or refer to relevant additional services that may be indicated after OT assessment
What does the Primary Care Occupational Therapist not do?
- Mobility and walking aids, physiotherapy may be the more appropriate service to be referred to for this.
- Provision of equipment without assessment by the OT
- Provision of orthopaedic chairs, we can advise on measurement and list of suppliers. See link below for further information.
- Provision of mobility scooters
- Fitting/ installation of grab rails, we can provide and advise on position but we do not fit the rail.
- Reports for housing adaptation grants, see below for more details
How to Refer to Primary Care Occupational Therapy?
Your initial referral can be made by your GP, Public Health Nurse (PHN) or any health professional who you are attending.
When you are referred your referral will be prioritised and may be put on a waiting list. The waiting lists will vary in each network depending on staffing resources.
When your file has been given to an Occupational Therapist they will phone or write to you to arrange an appointment with you in your local Primary Care Centre.
If you have been seen by the Occupational Therapy Service previously you can make contact to refer yourself if new needs arise.
Network 1 - Carlow Town and County (Not including Borris and St. Mullins)
Primary Care Centre,
Shamrock Plaza,
Green Lane,
Carlow, R93 T8Y6.
Phone: 056 7732027
Network 2 - South Kilkenny and South Carlow (Borris and ST. Mullins)
Thomastown Primary Care Centre,
Lady’s well street,
Newtown,
Thomastown,
Co. Kilkenny,
R95 T3FW.
Phone: 056 7773900
Network 3 - Kilkenny City and North County
Newpark Primary Care Centre
Old Golf Links Road
Kilkenny
R95 X4EF
Phone: 056 77 16516
Broken equipment supplied by the HSE OT department
Contact the Department on the numbers above to report any issues with equipment supplied by the Occupational Therapy Department.
If possible have the asset number of your equipment ready when you call. This number can be found on a little silver sticker on the equipment which says property of the HSE and a 5-digit Asset number.
- OT Equipment no longer in use: If you have OT equipment in your home that is no longer in use please return as this equipment will be recycled for use by another person who requires it.
You can return used equipment to
Kilkenny Community Care Headquarters, James Green, Kilkenny, R95 T3FW
Between 11am -1pm Monday to Friday
or
Stores Department at St. Dympna’s Hospital, Athy Road, Carlow R95 DE62
Between 9am-1pm Monday to Friday
or
You can call the free phone number on the Asset tag (silver sticker with Property of the HSE written on it) on your equipment to organise a return. Freephone: 1800 211 432
If you do not want to wait for a HSE OT assessment
There is a list here of private Occupational Therapists on the Association of Occupational Therapist of Ireland (AOTI) website.
You can also purchase small pieces of equipment from medical supply shops or online.
Bigger pieces of equipment can be available to hire.
Check with your private health insurance company. Many policies will pay for items, including wheelchairs.
Non-medical Card Holders
Occupational Therapy assessment and recommendations can be provided to non-medical card holders. However we can only supply equipment to people with a valid Medical Card, Long Term Illness card or a Health Act Amendment Card.
Adapting your house
People with a disability or older people may apply to their local county council for a home adaptation grant. See links below for more information and application forms:
https://kilkennycoco.ie/eng/services/housing/housing-grants/
https://carlow.ie/housing/housing-grants
You may be asked for an OT report for some grants. In Carlow and Kilkenny the County Councils employ private Occupational Therapists to carry out these assessment and provide the reports.
Additional Useful contacts and links
Disabled Parking Permit Information
You can apply for a parking permit to allow you to park in disabled parking spaces in Ireland and the EU if you are a person with severe restricted mobility or are certified as blind. The permit is available if you are a driver or passenger of a vehicle. It is valid for 2 years from the issue date. The scheme is run in Ireland by the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland (DDAI.ie) and the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA.ie)
