Somerset, NJ, May 23, 2017 – With her warm demeanor and bright smile, Julia Jaman, MSOT, OTR/L, arrives each weekday at Stein Assisted Living to provide occupational therapy services to help residents live their lives to the fullest.
Occupational therapy derives its name from the idea of helping people with daily tasks that “occupy” their time and their lives. Whether working on upper body strengthening, balance exercises, fine motor skills such as managing buttons or opening bottles, or sharpening memory and cognitive skills, Ms. Jaman’s goal is to keep residents safe and maintain their independence in self-care.
Ms. Jaman especially loves working with seniors and has developed a rapport with many of the residents at Stein. “Sometimes a resident comes back to assisted living after a hospitalization and he or she is a little weaker,” she explains. “But I don’t give up on them – we work together to try and get them back to where they were, gaining a little more independence each day.”
Ms. Jaman comes to Stein Assisted Living through Fox Rehabilitation. Working in tandem with her colleagues from physical therapy, she makes the rounds at Stein to provide client-centered care to five or six residents each day who she visits two to three times a week. With repeat visits over time she has earned the trust of her clients. “What I especially love about working here are the bonds I have established,” she comments. “Those relationships give me purpose.”
For Stein residents, occupational therapy can be the key to helping them engage in activities safely. From the regular activities of daily living, such as bathing and dressing, to the more extracurricular activities offered in the community, Ms. Jaman aims to help individuals do more on their own so they can be active participants in their valued occupations. She fondly recalls a 100-year-old resident who was not that open to occupational therapy at first. “We worked at it and, with time he was able to get a little stronger. We took small steps and made progress. Age is not going to stop us.”
For more information about occupational therapy services at Stein Assisted Living, email Michael D. Yannotta, Director of Nursing, at Stein Assisted Living, at [email protected].
The Oscar and Ella Wilf Campus for Senior Living is comprised of Stein Assisted Living, Jaffa Gate Memory Care Neighborhood, Stein Hospice, Wilentz Senior Residence, Wilf Transport, and The Foundation at the Wilf Campus. For more information, contact us at (732) 568-1155, [email protected] or visit us at www.wilfcampus.org.