Occupational Therapy Intervention Plan for Thumb CMC OA/DJD Case Study

This assignment outlines an occupational therapy intervention for Martha Washington, a patient experiencing thumb pain and stiffness due to CMC osteoarthritis. The intervention focuses on animal-assisted therapy, specifically involving the patient's dog to facilitate activities of daily living and promote thumb range of motion. The treatment plan includes incorporating the dog into activities like cleaning and playing, alongside adaptive techniques and object manipulation to manage pain and pressure. The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework is applied, emphasizing the importance of pet care as a significant activity, with the aim of helping Martha regain thumb function through graded activities and joint protection techniques. The assignment also addresses the grading of the activity to allow for progression as the patient improves, and how to manage if the activity exceeds the patient's ability. References from relevant research and practical experiences are included to support the intervention's best practices.

Running head: OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY A1
Occupational Therapy
Name
Institution

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 2
Assignment 1
Problem Identification
Martha Washington complains of lack of movement of the thumb accompanied by pain and
stiffness. She also experiences pain when trying to pinch or tightly grip something. There is a
visible muscle atrophy around the thumb. There is also a possible deformity of the thumb bone
and a possible arthritis due to swelling around the thumb joint.
Description of Treatment intervention
Specific evidence-based occupational therapy interventions are necessary for addressing
Martha’s lack of range of motion in her thumb. One of the interventions is the use of animal-
assisted therapy. Animal-assisted therapy can be defined as a therapeutic intervention that
includes animals and pets such as cats in the treatment plan to assist with activities of daily living
(Şahin, Kose & Zarif, 2018). It is important to note that people engage in several activities
throughout their lifetime. Some of these activities involve playing with their pets and washing
them. An occupational therapist should use these activities to help their patients regain some of
their abilities and continue with their activities of daily living.
One of the ways of helping Martha is by involving her lovely dog in the treatment. The dog is
brought to the care facility and Martha is given a chance of playing with it. On occupational
therapist helps Martha in cleaning and drying her pet. The patient is then educated on adaptive
techniques to ensure that she can take part in her activities of daily living. Animal-assisted
therapy is important in occupational therapy because most patients are always passionate about
their pets and they would do anything for them (Andreasen et al., 2017). This passion can push
one to work harder and succeed in the assigned task thus leading to successful therapy sessions.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 3
Interacting with animals is meaningful to most people and pet owners have a special bond with
their pets thus making animal-assisted therapy very vital in occupational therapy.
Sometimes the patient may struggle to perform these activities and therefore it is necessary to
train them with objects where a therapist can manipulate the pressure the patient is applying on
the object depending on the degree of pain on their thumb. After several days of this activity,
they can then be given the chance to play with their pet.
Occupational Therapy Practice Framework
According to the occupational therapy practice framework, animal-assisted therapy is very
crucial in care and the care of pets is a very significant activity of daily living. It is important to
note that pets enable patients in engaging in several activities of daily living thus reaching their
occupational therapy goals. A patient like Martha can be educated on the best way to care for her
dog while at the same time ensuring that she regains the motion of her thumb. This education is
combined with the necessary training of the thumb to ensure that it can perform the necessary
activities. Training can involve the use of objects to ensure that a patient learns about joint
protection and energy conservation (Şahin et al., 2018). Animal-assisted therapy is a crucial
intervention that involves several approaches. Firstly, it is important to create a time plan for the
therapy to ensure that the patient achieves the desired outcomes within a specified timeframe.
The therapist must maintain this treatment plan and only change it when necessary. It is also
important to prevent deterioration of Martha’s thumb due to excessive weight or pressure.

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 4
References
Andreasen, G., Stella, T., Wilkison, M., Szczech Moser, C., Hoelzel, A., & Hendricks, L. (2017).
Animal-assisted therapy and occupational therapy. Journal of Occupational Therapy,
Schools, & Early Intervention, 10(1), 1-17.
Şahin, S., Kose, B., & Zarif, M. (2018). Animal-Assisted Therapy in Occupational
Therapy. Occupational Therapy - Therapeutic And Creative Use Of Activity. doi:
10.5772/intechopen.76468