Our Services

What is it?

Diabetes management and education services can help you better manage your diabetes and prevent or delay secondary health complications. We understand that managing a chronic disease is difficult; we are here to help you feel more confident, better informed, and less stressed. We support you to follow the plan developed by your doctor, help you fit disease-management into your routine, and overall improve your quality of life!

Our evaluation starts with understanding your goals, lifestyle, habits, and routines. Then, together, we make a plan to help you improve the diabetes management skills that will make the biggest difference in your life.

Diabetes management skills include:

Our approach is person-centered, empathetic, and evidence based. And we are committed to being a collaborative member of your diabetes-team.

Who can benefit from it?

Anyone with diabetes and their family and caregivers. This could be a new diagnosis or something you’ve dealt with for many years. Our services can be especially helpful if you have another disability making things more difficult for you like low vision, arthritis, poor sensation, mobility issues, stroke, or cognitive issues.

Why should I choose Adaptive Independence Missoula?

While lots of different health professionals can offer diabetes management education, as an occupational therapist, Jessie Alexander is trained in lifestyle modifications and disability services. Jessie has 7+ years of experience in adult rehabilitation and diabetes care. She is specialized in finding client-centered solutions that work with your lifestyle, your priorities, and your goals. This means training can be more successful because it takes a holistic view of you and your life! Additionally, our sessions can last up to 90 minutes so we can offer you more individualized problem-solving support and more time to ask questions than you may have had in your visit with your doctor.

Where can I go to learn more?

Explore the links below for more information and valuable resources:

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) Home Page
The American Heart Association's (AHA) Diabetes Page
Montana State Diabetes Program Page

What is it?

Adaptive driving rehabilitation services provided by our trained driving rehab specialist. Our services are built to keep you independent and connected to the activities, people, and communities you care the most about.

We see adult drivers with a variety of disabilities and medical conditions to evaluate fitness-to-drive and—depending on the determined risk—make recommendations for return to driving, return to driving with accommodations/training, or driving retirement.

Our process begins with a clinical evaluation that collects data on how your body and mind are working for the task of driving. We examine how well you move, how strong you are, how you feel and control your body, how fast you react, how well you see, remember, and solve problems. We also ask questions about your driving habits, the things you like and need to do, and your other relevant medical history.

Then, if appropriate, we move forward to the behind-the-wheel evaluation in our special rehab vehicle. Our vehicle is equipped with an instructor brake and specialized mirrors and equipment to ensure you and the driving rehab specialist are safe. The goal is to observe your driving in a variety of real-world situations and challenges.

Finally, we sit down for an outcomes discussion with you and your designated family member or contact person. In this conversation, the driving rehab specialist explains the results from the clinical testing and behind-the-wheel evaluation and make recommendations for next steps. The findings may indicate low-risk with a recommendation to return to driving without further intervention, medium-risk with a recommendation for more training and/or special equipment to make driving easier and safer for you, or high-risk with a recommendation for a pause on driving or driving retirement.

The conversation around driving retirement is never easy. That’s why our services don’t stop here! If we recommend you pause or retire from driving, we offer extensive services for education, family training, and strategies for alternative transportation strategies. We want to keep you independent, engaged in the activities you care about, and in the communities you love, regardless of your ability to safely return to driving.

Who can benefit from it?

Anyone who has a medical condition, illness, or disability that is making driving difficult, or anyone who afraid to return to driving after a significant health event. Below is a list of conditions we regularly see:

Neurologic Conditions	Orthopedic Conditions	Other Conditions
Stroke	Rotator Cuff Injury	Diabetes
Spinal Cord Injury	Shoulder Replacement	Encephalopathy
Traumatic Brain Injury	Hip Replacement	Arthritis
Parkinson's Disease	Knee Replacement	Vertigo
Multiple Sclerosis	Amputation	Macular Degeneration
Dementia	Laminectomy	Glaucoma
Peripheral Neuropathy	Spinal Fusion	Cataracts
Mild Cognitive Impairment	Other Spinal or Orthopedic Surgery	Frequent Falls/Mobility Limitation

Why should I choose Adaptive Independence Missoula?

Jessie is an occupational therapist with 7+ years of clinical experience and 60+ hours of continuing education as a driving rehab specialist. She has specialized education and training to assess your fitness-to-drive, make driving recommendations, and provide training and education for adaptive equipment and strategies. Jessie is an empathetic, client-centered, and evidence based clinician committed to being a collaborative member of your medical team. We will work closely with you, your family, and your doctor to help you make the best decisions for yourself and your family.

Where can I go to learn more?

Explore the links below for more information and valuable resources:

Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists' (ADED) Fact Sheets and Customer Resources
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Resources for Older Drivers
The Hartford Driving Safety Resources
The Hartford “Considering a Comprehensive Driving Evaluation”

What is it?

Services to assist older adults to age gracefully and remain safely in their home for as long as possible. We offer a number of services to keep you or your loved ones safe, independent, and living at home including:

Who can benefit from it?

Older adults and/or their family members. Anyone who needs resources, training, and recommendations to make a home safer.

Why should I choose Adaptive Independence Missoula?

As an occupational therapist, Jessie has extensive experience in older adult rehabilitation and making home safety recommendations to keep clients safe and aging gracefully in their homes. She offers comprehensive, creative, and personalized services to address clients' individualized needs. Additionally, she has significant experience educating and training caregivers and family members so they can more effectively care for their loved ones.

Where can I go to learn more?

Explore the links below for more information and valuable resources:

Missoula Aging Services Home Page
Summit Independent Living: Resources for People with Disabilities of All Ages

What is it?

Additional occupational therapy services offered on a case-by-case basis. May include self-care training, equipment recommendations, community-mobility training, medication-management services, and many more.

Who can benefit from it?

Any adult experiencing a barrier to completing the activities they need and want to, with the people they care the most about, and in the environments that mean the most to them.

Why should I choose Adaptive Independence Missoula?

As an occupational therapist, Jessie has 7+ years of clinical experience offering a wide variety of occupational therapy services to adults and older adults. She is well-versed in understanding client priorities, their valued activities, the environments where they live their life, and the barriers standing between a client and the life they want to live. Jessie is a skilled problem-solver and loves to partner with her clients to help them reach their goals, whatever they may be!

Where can I go to learn more?

Explore the links below for more information and valuable resources:

American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA): "What is Occupational Therapy?"
AOTA's "Ask for OT" (resources on various conditions and how OTs can help)