There is a wide range of equipment and technology available that you can use in the home or when you are out and about to make life easier and help you keep safe and independent. This includes helping you move around the home, get in an out of the bath or help you contact someone for support.

• Somerset social care daily living has a self-assessment tool to help you find the right equipment
• Somerset community connect has advice about equipment to help with daily tasks
• British Red Cross provides advice on wheelchair loans and toilet aids

Contact Somerset County Council to speak to someone about how occupational therapy can help you and what is available to support you.

Call 0300 123 2224 or email adults@somerset.gov.uk

Visit the independent advice centre for advice for occupational therapy and adult social care.

To access occupational therapy, call Somerset County Council on 0300 123 2224 and select options ‘children’s team’ and ‘other’.

For pre-referral advice please email spotservice@somerset.gov.uk

This service is available:

• Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm
• Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm

The Occupational Therapy (OT) service is part of the SPOT (Sensory, Physical and Occupational Therapy) service in Somerset. It offers support for children and young people from birth to 25, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families living in Somerset with either or both:

• functional difficulties due to their disabilities that can’t be meet by universal or targeted services alone
• the child and young person’s condition has a substantial impact on the quality of the child and young person or family life

Occupational therapists work with people of all ages.

They treat both physical and psychological conditions to help people overcome the effects of disability caused by illness, accident or ageing. Their aim is to enable people to lead their lives as independently as possible.

Ocupatiational therapists work with:

• patients
• Family members and carers
• physiotherapy
• social workers
• speech and language therapists
• nurses
• medical teams
• community psychiatric nurse
• psychologists

They work within:

• general medicine
• care of older people
• trauma and orthopaedics, including spinal surgery
• surgery
• neurology inpatients and outpatients