Occupational Therapy — Transfer to Dementia Care OT for a Patient Moving to Memory Care
A community occupational therapist transfers a 78-year-old woman with moderate Alzheimer's disease from community home support to the OT team of a new memory care facility. The transfer letter must communicate the current functional status, the meaningful activity profile, and the communication strategies that work for this patient.
Letter type
Transfer
Write to
Dementia Care OT
Target length
200–220 words
The case notes
Patient: Mrs Rose Chen, 78 years old; moderate Alzheimer's disease (MMSE 16/30); transferring from home community OT support to St Brigid's Memory Care residential facility
Current ADL status: Personal care: requires verbal prompts and step-by-step guidance for washing and dressing; follows a 3-step instruction reliably; cannot initiate tasks independently; manages finger-food meals independently; requires supervision for hot drinks
Communication: Best understood when spoken to slowly, with eye contact, using short sentences (3–5 words) and yes/no questions; responds well to a calm, unhurried manner; can be distressed by multiple people speaking simultaneously; name recognition reliable
Meaningful activities: Enjoyed gardening (not possible in facility — window boxes could substitute); responds well to music from the 1960s (Chinese and Cantonese songs); tactile activities: folding towels, sorting buttons, handling smooth objects; religious: Christian (Catholic); responds to religious music and familiar prayers
Behaviour: Sundowning: increased anxiety and agitation from 16:00–18:00; strategies: gentle music, familiar objects, warm drink, reduced noise environment; no aggressive behaviours recorded; occasional tearfulness when reminded she is not going home
Family: Daughter (Mrs Anna Lo) is primary next-of-kin; visits regularly; has provided a photograph album and a memory box; would like to continue involvement in meaningful activities
Task: Write a transfer letter to the memory care facility OT team, outlining Mrs Chen's functional status, communication strategies, and meaningful activity profile.
Writing task
Write a transfer letter to the memory care facility OT team, outlining Mrs Chen's functional status, communication strategies, and meaningful activity profile.
What to include, what to cut
The hardest mark to win is selection. The same case notes contain decision-relevant facts and distractors. Here is what an examiner expects to see in a Grade B letter for this scenario, and what should be left out.
Include
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Communication strategies: short sentences (3–5 words), eye contact, yes/no questions, calm unhurried manner, avoid multiple simultaneous speakers
Getting communication right is the prerequisite for all other care in dementia. The facility team cannot run an effective ADL programme or meaningful activity session without knowing how Mrs Chen understands and responds to communication.
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Meaningful activities: music from 1960s (Chinese/Cantonese), tactile activities (folding towels, sorting buttons), Catholic faith and religious music
Person-centred care in memory care depends on preserved meaningful engagement. These are the activities that give Mrs Chen wellbeing and connection. The facility OT team builds the activity programme from this profile.
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Sundowning 16:00–18:00 and the de-escalation strategies: gentle music, familiar objects, warm drink, quiet environment
Sundowning is predictable and manageable with the right environment at the right time. The facility OT and care team must know the window and the strategies before 16:00 on day one — not after the first distressed episode.
Leave out
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The medical history and the Alzheimer's progression history
The facility receives the GP summary and the specialist dementia team report. The OT transfer covers the occupational and functional profile. 'Moderate Alzheimer's disease (MMSE 16/30)' is sufficient context.
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The previous home layout and the home OT interventions in detail
The patient is moving to the facility — the home context is irrelevant to the receiving OT team. What matters is the current functional level and the person's profile.
Criterion in focus · Content
Dementia OT transfers are assessed on whether the receiving team can provide person-centred care from day one without a 'getting to know you' period. This requires three content components: (1) functional status — what she can do and how to prompt her effectively, (2) communication strategies — how to interact, (3) meaningful activities and emotional wellbeing — what matters to her. A transfer that covers only the clinical without the person-centred profile fails Content in the dementia care context.
Now write the letter — and find out what is blocking your Grade B
Write a 200–220 words transfer letter from these notes, paste it into the free checker for an instant read, then submit it for a human grade against all six criteria. Dr Mariam's team returns line-by-line feedback, from $12.