Hi, I am an NHS Community Occupational Therapist that is seeing an increased number of referrals for elderly clients, often with Dementia, and or in care homes with severe contractures of the hand. The referrals are made, generally, too late for palm protectors/ passive/ active ROM exercises/ Thera putty etc. I am looking for advice that I can pass onto the care homes a) to prompt earlier therapy intervention b) promote good hand hygiene/ tissue viability regimes (often when the clients are reluctant to engage with staff) and c) how to best manage the complex scenarios: such as poor hand hygiene/ severe pain and pressure sores to palm/ fingers/ thumb with dignity. Many thanks to OT Hub for sharing.
top of page
To see this working, head to your live site.
Managing Severe Hand Contractures in the Older Person.
Managing Severe Hand Contractures in the Older Person.
5 answers6 replies
Like
11 Comments
bottom of page
Don’t know where my original post disappeared to but let’s try again.
I work in a spasticity mgt team and see this problem a lot - either due to a Neuro condition - dementia, stroke etc or through Dupytren, or arthritic changes. we carried out an education programme including identification of the problem, handling hands, analgesia, and basics such as hand hygiene and nail care, with nursing home care staff which was successful in the short term but difficult due to staff turn over. We published a paper in nursing times. We developed the SCIN an assessment tool to monitor . Now we also have a joint surgical assessment clinic with. A hand and plastic surgeon which has made a fantastic difference. But prevention is always better than cure so we have a long way to go. Contact me if you want more info.