Closomat Webinars: Sharing Clinical Excellence
A Collaborative Webinar Series with Closomat and The Occupational Therapy Service
At Closomat we pride ourselves on making lives easier, removing barriers, and solving problems. We are aware that there is a lot of confusion about what wash and dry toilets can actually do, how they work, and how best to specify them.
That’s why we have partnered with the industry-leading private Occupational Therapy firm, The Occupational Therapy Service. Together we have created a schedule of online events that tackle a range of everyday healthcare challenges related to toileting and relevant to Occupational Therapists’ practise.
The webinar format allows for questions and online chat with experts from Closomat and The Occupational Therapy Service. Participants receive a free CPD (continuous professional development) certificate. The video recordings of the webinars are made available following the session.
Upcoming Webinars
Theory and Application
- Explain how Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and Diverticulitis affect functional performance, including fatigue, urgency, pain, and the need for efficient toileting and hygiene.
- Assess the bathroom environment for barriers that may increase stress, risk and effort for clients managing chronic bowel conditions.
- Evaluate suitable environmental modifications and assistive technologies, including automated toileting solutions, to support hygiene, energy conservation and self-management.
- Integrate personalised recommendations into care plans, ensuring interventions align with clinical needs, lifestyle demands and long-term condition management.
Every person that an Occupational Therapist works with lives somewhere, even if that isn’t a home, yet housing is often viewed as something that only OTs in specialist and social care roles can influence. The “Building Health into Homes” webinar aims to challenge this assumption by demonstrating how OTs in all practice settings can help to improve people’s health outcomes by considering where they live.
- Understand key ergonomic principles and how physical, cognitive and psychosocial factors affect toileting independence
- Recognise how poor toileting design can impact safety, dignity, function and wellbeing
- Apply ergonomic thinking to toileting assessments to improve usability, occupational performance and outcomes
- Reflect on the use of common clinical or therapeutic language
- Discuss connotations of words such as resilience, bariatric and others to understand the impact on our clients
- Delve into connotations, relationships, and psychological or social impacts of language
- Discuss current healthcare practices and processes to consider challenges within the system
- Reflect on occupational therapy practices, both in acute and community settings, and their impact on the discharge planning process
- Explore what opportunities exist for occupational therapists to be key problem solvers
- Consider the current stresses on services, reviewing impact on therapist and client.
- Reflect on whether practice changes have impacted on occupational therapy processes and/or standards.
- Review current resources, physical and financial, and challenges meeting demand.
- Discuss opportunities for collaboration to support the needs of service users and those waiting for assessment.
- A summary as to when an OT should consider recommending a wash/dry toilet, taking into account person, activity and environment.
- Looking at activity analysis with regards to the occupation of toileting.
- A guide to holistic assessments and empowering people to maintain their own health and wellbeing, and to manage their own occupational needs, wherever possible.
- How do OTs assess for long-term needs on an initial assessment?
- How does future-proofing link with recommendations made after an assessment?
- Compatibility of accessories such as shower chairs and general advice around this issue.
- Our experiences of the Disabled Facilities Grant and other funding streams can often lead us to feel that legislation is restrictive and inhibiting.
- We will discuss the Care Act (2014) preventative agenda and how this can be applied to proactive bathroom design.
- We will use the example of dementia, visual impairment and wheelchair user-friendly environments to reduce risk, but the theory and application of evidence base is transferable across clinical settings
- To reflect on toileting and sanitation at global level
- To consider how toilets protect our health and well-being
- To explore our understanding of occupational science in relation to clinical reasoning underpinning toileting and bathroom design
- How Closomat can help you develop the right solution
- Learn how the appearance of equipment and adaptations can impact on users
- Listen to the discussion on how an accessible bathroom can be a beautiful bathroom
Moving and Handling
- Discuss what proportionate handling is and the potential impacts.
- Consider the functional implications of a single-handed care recommendation.
- Reflect on how environmental design can hinder or promote SHC (single-handed care)
- Consider the challenges and opportunities of proactive future-proofing, reflecting on clinical reasoning, legislation and funding
- Discuss strategies that support cost-effective adaptability, including equipment and adaptations
- Reflect on whether there is any conflict to occupational therapy practice in making predictive recommendations that are not activity analysis based.
- To provide an overview of what constitutes a safe transfer.
- To review how occupational therapy can guide, support and facilitate transfers and reduce risks.
- To confidently evaluate a range of toileting equipment that can assist with transfers and clinically reason its recommendation.
- To implement learning through case studies to assist with practice
- Increased awareness of bathroom based fall risks
- Review of falls reduction intervention
- Overview of the guidance on falls prevention and how this relates to occupational therapy
- Reflect on supporting legislation and application
- Gain a greater understanding of the tasks undertaken on the toilet.
- See a review of what to cover during an assessment of our client’s transfer ability.
- Leave with an overview of occupational therapy interventions to improve independence.
- Gain further insight into regulation, legislation and design guides and how to use them in practice.
- To review how to assess the clients needs
- To understand the tasks the clients wants and needs to do within the bathroom
- To give a greater insight on how to complete a client specific specification to meet long term needs of a client with a progressive condition.
- Further develop the knowledge to provide clear clinical reasoning
- How Closomat can help you develop the right solution
- Consider the challenge of determining when it’s the right time to hoist
- Develop an understanding of risk assessment
- Reflect on the impact of hoisting on occupation
- Understand hoisting options and environmental design
Neurological
- Explore aetiology and epidemiology of motor neurone disease (MND)
- Consider the impact of motor neurone disease (MND) on meaningful and purposeful activity
- Reflect on the experiences of someone with motor neurone disease (MND) to inform practice
- Discuss the impact of the built environment on risk and dignity
- Explore the aetiology and epidemiology of MS
- Reflect on functional and occupational impacts of the condition
- Consider how home modifications have impacted the life of someone with MS
- Reflection on the types of neurological trauma and the impact on occupational performance
- Review of potential activity analysis and the impact on toileting specifically.
- Consideration of intervention strategies to maximise independence and occupational engagement
- Application of a model of practice to identify the impact bathroom adaptations on long‐term health and wellbeing for clients with neurological trauma.
- Consider the impact of stroke on function, using activity analysis
- Reflect on the role of adaptation to support rehabilitation
- Review the use of DFG to support ‘long-term’ needs
- Discuss bathroom and toilet adaptions to support specific neurological deficits
- Explore activity analysis and the impact on occupation
- Reflect on using adaptations and design to enable occupational engagement
- Consider activity analysis and toileting for someone with Parkinson’s, providing specific insights into potential design
- Develop a greater understanding of dementia(s) and their impact on occupational performance
- Consider the impact of the environment and the evidence base for home modifications
- Link recommendations to legislation, determining eligibility for funding
- Reflect on how to support those who do not receive funding support
Paediatric
- Understand how Autism influences occupational performance, including sensory modulation, interoception, sequencing and cognitive load during self-care.
- Assess bathroom environments for barriers affecting safety, independence, sensory comfort and predictability, including lighting, noise, temperature, visual contrast, layout and motor-planning demands.
- Evaluate the role of environmental adaptations and assistive technology, in improving autonomy, hygiene, regulation, predictability and dignity.
- Apply the Person–Environment–Occupation (PEO) model to develop client-centred, neuro-affirming strategies that use sensory-friendly design, structured routines, and appropriate equipment setups or adaptations; to strengthen independence and promote dignity.
- Occupations that our clients engage in within the bathroom environment.
- We discuss the impact of the environment on engagement with a focus on those with sensory needs.
- There is a specific focus on child developmental theory to consider tasks such as toileting and bathing and how routines equipment and minor and major adaptations can be used to maximise engagement in personal care, play, sleep and relationships through the transition into adulthood.
- Demonstrate the link between developmental stages and occupation
- Reflect on what ‘age appropriate’ means and its impact on recommendations
- Explore the use of grading to maximise outcomes for our clients
- Explore the aetiology and epidemiology of Cerebral Palsy (CP).
- Reflect on the occupational impacts of the condition from both a theoretical and experiential perspective.
- Consider how adaptations to the built environment have impacted the life of someone with Cerebral Palsy (CP).
- Explore the impact of design on the transition from child to adult
- Consider the change of roles, goals, expectations and relationship with the bathroom
- Reflect on how occupational therapists support their young clients through the transition to adulthood
- Delegates will reflect on the impact on occupational performance of a number of common health conditions, or areas of ill-health
- There will be a focus on occupational performance and activity analysis in the bathroom, to further understand the impact of the specific environment on independence in the context of common health conditions
- Clinical reasoning will be challenged, using legislation and guidance to provide an evidence base
- Delegates will reflect on the use of equipment and adaptations in the bathroom to support independence, reduce risk and maximise client potential.
- Consider the impact of the physical environment on developmental milestones
- Reflect on the importance of toilet access within child development
- Develop an understanding of the challenges and solutions within our client group
Plus-Size Clients
- Reflect on what is considered appropriate language for the group
- Discuss the potential impact of being plus-size on occupational performance
- Consider the term anthropometrics and its relevance to function
- Review a case study to provide advice on problem solving
- To develop an understanding of anthropometrics and its importance
- To gain an overview of planning a home environment for plus sized clients (with focus on the bathroom)
- To understand the effect of being plus sized on occupation
- To evaluate the importance of assessment and activity analysis
- To review the role of the occupational therapist in aspects of dignity and choice
Older People
- Understand the multifactorial nature of falls, recognising the interaction between intrinsic, extrinsic, and behavioural factors.
- Analyse common environmental contributors to falls within the home—particularly in the bathroom, where risk is highest.
- Apply principles of environmental assessment and adaptation to reduce falls risk and support safer personal care routines.
- Evaluate the role of adaptive equipment and assistive technology in promoting stability, independence, and carer safety.
- Reflect on what ‘age-related decline’ means in reality.
- Consider whether practice discriminates against or supports ageing
- Discuss some of the relevant legislation and its impact on recommendations
- Explore common conditions that are considered ‘age-related’.
- Explore the aetiology and epidemiology of UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections)
- Consider the impacts of a urinary tract infection, reflecting on roles, carers, dignity and independence
- Discuss how our recommendations can impact health and well-being in the longer term
- Reflect on the potential return on investment of adaptations when health and well-being is positively impacted
- Develop a greater understanding of ‘arthritis’ and its impact on occupational performance
- Consider activity analysis and the effect on recommendations
- Review design and modification options to maximise independence
- Reflect on legislation and guidance to support clinical reasoning and funding options
- Consider the impact of proactive housing interventions
- Reflect on how we apply legislation and guidance to formulate clinically reasoned recommendations
- Increase awareness of common risk factors and risk reduction strategies
- Reflect on falls and the impact on health & wellbeing
- Discuss falls reduction strategies using environmental design
- Consider proactive versus reactive measures
- Review the dynamic interaction between occupational engagement and risk