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Summary
In this Office Hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, discusses how skilled home-modification occupational therapists look beyond environmental checklists to understand the client’s routines, priorities, task performance, and participation at home. She shares practical approaches for observing meaningful activity, prioritizing recommendations, addressing client resistance, choosing between equipment and structural changes, and documenting occupation-centered clinical reasoning.
In this Office Hours episode, Sue Doyle, PhD, OTR/L, discusses how skilled home-modification occupational therapists look beyond environmental checklists to understand the client’s routines, priorities, task performance, and participation at home. She shares practical approaches for observing meaningful activity, prioritizing recommendations, addressing client resistance, choosing between equipment and structural changes, and documenting occupation-centered clinical reasoning.
Questions answered in this episode:
Where should I begin during a home-modification assessment: the bathroom, entryway, or somewhere else?
What should I observe beyond obvious home hazards?
How can I frame recommendations around more than fall prevention?
What should I do when I identify many home concerns at once?
How should I respond when a client declines a recommendation?
How do I determine whether equipment is enough or an architectural modification is needed?
How can I document home-modification recommendations in an occupation-centered way?
Mentioned resources and links:
- Certified Home Accessibility Therapist (CHAT): https://www.thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com/CHAT
- Courses & Memberships: https://www.thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com/courses
- Any handouts, checklists, or blog posts referenced:
Submit a question for a future episode:
- Use the question form here: https://www.thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com/SubmitQuestion
- Or email your question to: sue@thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com
Connect with The Home Accessibility Therapist:
- Website: https://www.thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com/
- Blog: https://thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.blog/
- Join the newsletter: https://www.thehomeaccessibilitytherapist.com/Newsletter
- Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeaccessibilitysafety
- Follow on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/susan-doyle-38bba3178
Creators and Guests
What is The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast?
The Home Accessibility Therapist Podcast delivers tips, training, and interviews for therapists who are changing lives at home. Each episode turns real-world home modification challenges—like falls, hoarding, and disaster preparedness—into clear, practical strategies you can use on your next visit. You’ll hear Therapist Thursday interviews, research-based blog-to-audio episodes, and “Office Hours” Q&A focused on evaluations, documentation, and funding. The podcast’s goal is to build your confidence and skills as a home accessibility therapist so your recommendations are safer, more effective, and more likely to be implemented.