Energy Conservation Occupational Therapy PDF
Fatigue is a common symptom for individuals managing long-term health conditions. Occupational therapy (OT) can help individuals manage fatigue through personalized strategies, tools and habit changes.
Energy conservation is the principle of completing tasks using less physical effort and energy to prevent debilitating fatigue. OTs apply these principles to a variety of patients with different diagnoses.
Respiratory Patients
Fatigue is a common symptom for patients with respiratory conditions. Conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, fibromyalgia, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia and other lung disorders impact a patient’s ability to perform daily activities. Breathing restrictions and breathlessness may also contribute to feelings of depression, fatigue and loss of control over daily tasks.
Energy conservation occupational therapy can help these patients reduce fatigue, increase their quality of life and improve their ability to carry out daily tasks. OTs teach the importance of planning and prioritizing daily tasks, taking rest breaks during activities, avoiding unnecessary repetition and reducing physical intensity as needed. OTs can also educate patients on pacing their breath, and using strategies such as pursed lip breathing, to manage symptoms of dyspnea.
OTs can also promote energy conservation for patients on oxygen therapy. These techniques help to prevent oxygen desaturation, which can lead to a drop in blood pressure, discoloration of the skin, nausea and dizziness. OTs can work with patients to set daily goals that are realistic, and encourage consistent use of a pulse oximeter to monitor oxygen saturation.
Occupational therapists are able to provide education and advice on the best ways to conserve energy, and can provide tools such as visual handouts, to help patients plan their day or week. This might include scheduling tasks that require a lot of energy at the beginning of the day, or arranging to have tasks completed by family members or volunteers. Organizing daily items in easy-to-reach locations and avoiding multiple trips up or down stairs is another simple way to save energy.
Hospice Patients
For many patients, especially those in palliative care, their quality of life is limited. This type of care focuses on the patient’s comfort and supports their needs for meaning and purpose as they navigate their serious health condition. Occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely suited to support these patients in their quest to continue participating in occupations that matter most to them.
This often means educating the patient on energy conservation techniques. This includes pacing, planning, and prioritizing tasks to ensure they only engage in activities that are most important for them and their family. It also involves promoting the consistent use of a pulse oximeter to help them track their oxygen levels and recognize when they need to stop or cut back on activity intensity.
In addition, the OT can work with clients to modify or simplify their environments and provide education on equipment, such as grab bars, to reduce the physical demand of daily living tasks. For example, if the client’s arthritis causes pain when they transfer in and out of bed, the OT can teach safe body mechanics to prevent unnecessary injury and decrease the level of discomfort.
As the name suggests, hospice is a type of care for individuals who are nearing the end of their lives due to an advanced disease or terminal illness such as ALS or cancer. This type of care typically involves a team of healthcare professionals including physicians, nurses, and social workers. However, a recent survey showed that only 10.6% of hospice patients received occupational therapy services. This gap in care demonstrates the critical need for our profession to continue advocating for our role in the palliative care setting.
Repetitive Use Injuries
Patients with repetitive use injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, tendinitis, and rotator cuff injury can benefit from energy conservation occupational therapy. These injuries typically develop slowly over time, and patients often dismiss early symptoms as normal soreness or fatigue. However, if left untreated, these injuries can become debilitating and impact daily activities.
Patients with these injuries can benefit from OT education on energy conservation strategies like planning and prioritizing tasks, taking short rest breaks throughout the day to minimize pain and fatigue, and pacing activity levels to avoid unnecessary exacerbation of pain or physical intensity. OTs can also teach safe body mechanics to reduce risk of future injury. This is especially important for health care workers who are exposed to repetitive motions such as transferring patients.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an uncurable progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects motor neurons. It can cause a loss of muscle function, including those needed for breathing.
Occupational therapy has a unique role in the treatment of this devastating disease and can help people with ALS manage their symptoms for as long as possible. OT’s provide expertise and creativity for patients to better manage daily activities, preserving their quality of life and maintaining independence as the disease progresses.
People with ALS usually experience the first sign of weakness in one of their arms or legs that develops over a few days or weeks. Then it may progress to other limbs. They may also experience slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. They can often live with the disease for several years before they need a respirator.
As the disease progresses, a person with ALS will become more fatigued because they have to work so hard to perform simple tasks. Occupational therapy can teach them energy conservation techniques and strategies to reduce the amount of effort it takes to complete tasks. They can also learn to modify their home environment and utilize assistive devices such as adaptive utensils, button hooks, reach extenders, environmental control units, and special mattresses for wheelchairs or beds.
The therapist can also teach people with ALS to use assistive devices to help them communicate, which is important for their self-esteem. This can include devices that allow for hands-free communication, voice activation of computers and TVs, or the use of eye gaze to interact with a computer. The therapist can also recommend exercises to maintain range of motion and improve balance and endurance.
OT’s can also help a person with ALS plan their priorities for the day and decide what they want to do before they run out of energy. OT’s can explain how to plan and organize their day to ensure the most productive outcome from each activity. They can also help them set realistic expectations and teach them to recognize their limits. They can also learn to reduce frustration and improve coping skills as the disease progresses.


