{"id":71958,"date":"2026-11-03T17:12:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T17:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=71958"},"modified":"2026-11-03T18:09:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T18:09:00","slug":"celebrating-vital-role-played-occupational-therapists-supporting-people-be-independent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/celebrating-vital-role-played-occupational-therapists-supporting-people-be-independent\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the vital role played by occupational therapists in supporting people to be independent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Occupational Therapy Week - Debbie says she can use her whole house again after help from OT Rosie\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/g-VfNKXynY8?feature=oembed&#038;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This week marks <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcot.co.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Occupational Therapy (OT) Week<\/a> (2 to 8 November) as we celebrate the essential role OTs play in improving lives.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OTs organise support to meet people&#8217;s needs, focusing on wellbeing to help people overcome challenges they may face in completing everyday tasks or activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rosie Tuohy has been an OT at Devon County Council for almost three years. She said: \u201cIn occupational therapy we try and focus on the person&#8217;s goals and work with them as much as possible on what&#8217;s important to them. It\u2019s a highly rewarding job and I\u2019m so glad I do what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rosie has been providing support to Debbie Chard, from Exeter, for around two years, arranging for adaptations to be installed in her home to make it easier for her to access essential facilities in her house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Debbie is in no doubt that Rosie has transformed her quality of life. She said: \u201cI had no idea when I got diagnosed with MS (multiple sclerosis) that I would be able to live at home and so I spent my time finding out what other options there are, and I didn\u2019t like any of them. I didn\u2019t want to be in a care home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt took years to convince me to have a lift in my home and I wish I had accepted it before. It\u2019s made a huge difference to me, but I was very much one of these people that didn\u2019t want anything disabled in the home. It took a long time for her to convince me, but it\u2019s wonderful because now my whole house is opened up to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf I need anything looked at, Rosie will come out and help me. She\u2019ll also give me options if I\u2019d like to have adaptations done, which has made living at home much easier. It\u2019s made a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rosie added: \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be able to work with someone for a longer time and get to know them and be able to make a difference. For Debbie, being able to live in her home for as long as possible is her major priority, so being able to help her with that means a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAll of the adaptations have meant that she can access everywhere in the house and also the carers that support her are safe when they\u2019re helping her to transfer and move, and to access the bathroom and shower as well. Not only does it make a difference to Debbie, but also her carers as well, which is brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-6aea11291484c\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Richard Keeling, Cabinet Member for Adults Services, said:<\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cOur occupational therapists play a vital role in supporting people to maintain their independence and live safely and well in their own homes. Debbie\u2019s story shows just how much of a difference the right support can make and highlights the important work our occupational therapists do every day.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/8\/7\/5\/Info00011578\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Richard Keeling\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=11578\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Richard Keeling, Cabinet Member for Adults Services<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyone who needs support should contact Care Direct Plus in the first instance on 0345 155 1007 (Monday to Thursday 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Friday 9.00 am to 4:00 pm).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To find out more about Occupational Therapy in Devon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/adult-social-care\/independent-living\/support-at-home\/adapting-your-home\/occupational-therapy\/\">please visit our webpages<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":71960,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[106,24],"tags":[310,2238,2373],"class_list":["post-71958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adult-social-care","category-dcc-homepage","tag-adult-social-care","tag-cllr-richard-keeling","tag-occupational-therapy"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":71960,"title":"Copy of hero image for news website - 2026-11-03T163619.656","alt":"Debbie Chard and Rosie Tuohy sat talking","description":"","caption":"Debbie Chard with OT Rosie Tuohy 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