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Occupational therapy for people relearning daily routines, thinking skills and work tasks after a brain injury, spinal cord injury or stroke. Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation in Hammond, with CARF-accredited residential and brain injury programs, for patients from across Louisiana.
Occupational therapy rehabilitation helps people get back to the everyday activities that make up their lives, such as dressing, grooming, cooking, managing a home and working. After a neurological injury, an occupational therapist rebuilds these skills through practice, teaches new strategies and introduces adaptive tools so a person can live as independently as possible.
At NeuLife Rehabilitation of Louisiana, occupational therapy is one of the core therapies in our neurorehabilitation program. It works closely with physical, speech and cognitive therapy so each patient's plan fits together.
The two are often confused because they work side by side. Physical therapy focuses on how a person moves: strength, balance, walking and transfers. Occupational therapy focuses on what a person does with that movement: getting dressed, preparing a meal, handling a work task or taking care of a home.
A simple way to picture it: physical therapy may help someone stand steadily at the kitchen counter, and occupational therapy helps them cook dinner while standing there.
Occupational therapy also pays close attention to thinking skills. After a brain injury or stroke, a person may have the physical ability to get dressed but struggle to remember the steps, stay focused or notice mistakes. Addressing both the physical and cognitive side of daily tasks is where occupational therapy makes a large difference.
Our occupational therapists work with people recovering from a wide range of neurological injuries, and many patients have more than one diagnosis.
Relearning self-care, organization and daily routines after a fall, car accident, assault or sports injury. See our brain injury rehabilitation program.
Daily living skills using compensatory strategies, mobility aids and adaptive technologies. Learn about spinal cord injury rehabilitation.
Using a weaker arm and hand again, or learning new ways to complete tasks after a stroke. Read about stroke rehabilitation.
Recovery after an aneurysm, brain tumor, meningitis, near-drowning or lack of oxygen following a heart attack.
Patients with both a spinal cord injury and a traumatic brain injury, whose physical, functional and cognitive challenges are treated together.
Activities of daily living are the basic tasks most people do without thinking. After a neurological injury, each one may need to be relearned or done in a new way. Depending on the patient, daily living skills therapy may cover:
Getting dressed, brushing teeth and personal care, sometimes with a written list of steps to follow until the routine becomes familiar again.
Planning, preparing and cleaning up after a meal, including relearning to cook a favorite family dish.
Improving reach, grip and coordination so patients can handle utensils, buttons, a phone or a keyboard.
Household chores, keeping a schedule and the skills needed for errands and time spent out in the community.
New ways to finish a task when an old way no longer works, such as doing things one-handed or breaking a job into smaller steps.
Learning to use adaptive tools and technologies that make activities at home, at work and in the community possible.
Memory, attention and planning problems are common after a brain injury or stroke, and they show up most clearly during everyday tasks. Someone may leave the stove on, lose track halfway through a recipe or forget an appointment.
Occupational therapy works on these skills inside real activities. A patient might plan a grocery list, check a budget, then follow a recipe from start to finish. Along the way, therapists teach strategies like checklists, phone reminders, a memory notebook and a set place for important items.
This functional approach is shared across our team. NeuLife also has cognitive therapists on staff, and our speech-language pathologists focus on functional cognition. Read more about cognitive rehabilitation at NeuLife.
Changes can be subtle and easy to miss. If you notice them, talk with a physician.
For many patients, going back to work, school or a meaningful role is a major goal. Occupational therapy supports that goal through return-to-work activities that practice the physical and thinking skills a job requires, such as following multi-step directions, managing time and staying focused.
Our team also includes vocational counseling, which helps patients plan a realistic path back to work or toward a new direction. Community reintegration specialists help with the move from rehab back into home and community life.
We help patients transition to life at home, work, or school, and in the community, and we offer a continuum of care after the residential program ends.
In our residential program, patients use their occupational therapy skills all day, with care available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Getting ready in the morning, preparing a snack and keeping track of a daily schedule all become practice.
Therapy is also built around what matters to each person. That might be cooking a favorite meal for family, getting back to a hobby, or returning to recreational and social activities. Goals like these keep patients motivated and help rebuild confidence along with skill.
Emotional adjustment is one of the hardest parts of recovery. Psychological counseling works alongside occupational therapy so patients can handle the frustration and grief that often come with relearning basic tasks.
Every recovery moves at its own pace, but most patients follow the same general path.
After admission, the clinical team completes a full evaluation, including how the patient handles self-care, hand use and thinking skills during daily tasks.
Goals reflect the patient's real life, such as dressing without help, cooking a meal or getting back to a job.
Occupational therapy is part of a structured daily schedule, and the plan changes as skills improve.
Caregivers are invited into therapy to learn how to support daily routines, adaptive tools and cognitive strategies at home.
We plan the transition home, to work, school or the community, with outpatient options available after residential rehab ends.
Elizabeth Weisinger, OTR/L, serves as Lead Occupational Therapist at NeuLife Rehabilitation of Louisiana, with 37 years of experience as a licensed occupational therapist. Her focus is neuro rehabilitation: helping people recover function, build independence and improve quality of life after neurological injury.
Elizabeth delivers person-centered care and continually seeks out evidence-based techniques. She believes a strong physical, emotional and cognitive foundation is essential for long-term success.
Occupational therapy works alongside our speech-language pathologists, whose focus includes functional cognition. It also works with physical therapist Kelly Ruth, PT, DPT, under the clinical leadership of Shae Monistere, RN, DON, Executive Director. Our full team brings more than 200 years of combined experience in clinical residential rehabilitation.
NeuLife Rehabilitation of Louisiana has been accredited by CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, since 2020 for our Residential Rehabilitation Program and Brain Injury Specialty Program.
We partner with the Brain Injury Association of Louisiana and the United Spinal Association of Louisiana. Read our mission and values to learn how we approach care.
Families in Hammond, Ponchatoula, Baton Rouge, the Northshore and New Orleans often compare several programs. These questions help.
Patients come to NeuLife from across Louisiana and the Southeast. The best way to decide is to see the program in person.
Occupational therapy is about getting ready for real life at home, wherever in Louisiana home is. Families can share details about the house, the daily routine and the roles the person wants to return to, so practice in Hammond lines up with life after discharge.
Patients who live within about an hour, around Baton Rouge, the Northshore or New Orleans, can often continue OT as outpatients. Patients from farther regions usually stay for residential care, and family members can join sessions to learn how to help at home.
Typical drive times to Hammond, which vary with traffic:
See every region on our Areas We Serve page, or call 844-393-5433 to ask about a transfer from a hospital near you.
An occupational therapist helps patients relearn daily activities like dressing, grooming, cooking and work tasks after a brain injury, spinal cord injury or stroke. They use practice, compensatory strategies and adaptive tools, and they address thinking skills that affect daily tasks.
Physical therapy focuses on movement, such as strength, balance and walking. Occupational therapy focuses on using those abilities for daily activities, such as getting dressed, cooking or working. Most neurological rehab patients receive both.
Activities of daily living, often called ADLs, are basic self-care tasks such as dressing, grooming, bathing, eating and toileting. Broader daily tasks like cooking, household chores and managing a schedule are also part of occupational therapy goals.
Yes. Occupational therapists address memory, attention and planning as they affect daily tasks. At NeuLife, this work is coordinated with our cognitive therapists and speech language pathology team.
Yes. Occupational therapy uses return-to-work activities to practice job-related physical and thinking skills. Our team also offers vocational counseling to help plan a realistic return to work or a new direction.
Yes. Occupational therapy helps people with spinal cord injuries recover daily living skills using compensatory strategies, mobility aids and adaptive technologies that support activities at home, at work and in the community.
Yes. After a stroke, occupational therapy works on using a weaker arm and hand, relearning daily tasks and teaching new ways to complete them. It also addresses memory and attention changes that affect daily routines.
Yes. Caregivers are invited to take part in therapy and learn how to support daily routines, adaptive tools and cognitive strategies, so everyone is prepared for the move home.
Our occupational therapy team is led by Elizabeth Weisinger, OTR/L, who has 37 years of experience as a licensed occupational therapist. Learn more on our Our Team page.
We are at 41238 Adams Rd, Hammond, LA 70403, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and we are accredited by CARF for our Residential Rehabilitation Program and Brain Injury Specialty Program. Get directions or call 844-393-LIFE (5433).
We know that choosing the next step in your recovery from a Brain Injury or Spinal Cord Injury is complex. Together, we can help you take the next step.
Contact us with any questions today.
