About Therapy
What made you decide to visit my website?
Most likely, you have started to notice physical or mental changes in your body and fear what the future holds for you.
You may be the adult child of someone who is starting to show a decline in their safety.
Whatever the reason, the first step in your journey begins with a simple click. You are here, and your journey to improved safety and independence has started.
You don’t want to…
Admit that you may no longer be able to drive or lose your independence. But you also don’t want to be the cause of someone else getting hurt in an accident that was your fault
Always needing to ask others for a ride to where you need or want to go is a hassle, yet you don’t want to be stuck sitting at home all by yourself.
You don’t want to lose contact with your family, friends, and community.
Driving and living at home are now problems.
Someone told you that you couldn’t drive anymore, or you assumed that driving was not an option because of recent events in your life.
Those events may result from a recent amputation of your right leg or recent fender-benders (fortunately, nobody was hurt).
Perhaps moving out of your home is now a likely option because of your recent stroke, neuropathy in your feet making it difficult to walk, Alzheimer’s, or falling at home.
You may feel that making these changes represents an actual loss of independence, and this is where deciding based on a professional evaluation can help.
What can Dak-Minn Driving and Home Evaluations do for you?
Our appointments will be in the comfort of your own home, so you can be more relaxed than if you had to go into a clinic for your driving evaluation. I will gather pertinent medical history as it relates either to driving or to safety in your home.
I will clinically assess your motion, strength, cognitive function, vision, and essential ability to move around. After that, we will have you drive, or I will have you do some things in your home.
This will show me how well you can complete the requested tasks. After that, I will sit down with you and a family member to discuss any appropriate recommendations.
Joy A Tandberg, OTR/L, DRS, CHT, CLT
Why did I become an Occupational Therapist?
I think it started back in high school when my dad had complicated back surgery. Medicine at that time required patients to stay in bed for weeks rather than quickly starting therapy like they do today.
We lived on a dairy farm, so there was always lots of work to do. Having dad out of commission took its toll on the family, and our roles changed somewhat. I became dad’s caregiver and did most of the household tasks while my mom and other siblings who were still at home took over all of the outside work.
Having to help dad with his self-care and ‘rehab’ was an eye-opening experience for me. I saw how hard it was on him not to do the simple things in life like bathing and getting dressed independently… and to have assistance from your young teenage daughter. This man was used to hard work from sun up to sun down and couldn’t wait to get back to his everyday life.
That experience made me start exploring the health professions. I eventually settled on Occupational Therapy because the focus was on the functional things we need to do every day to live a fulfilling life.
Here’s some of my professional background.
I am an Occupational Therapist (OT) and Driver Rehabilitation specialist with over 35+ years of experience!
As a North Dakota native, I am a proud graduate of the University of North Dakota’s Occupational Therapy Program. After graduation, I explored OT, developed my skills, and worked in Idaho, South Dakota, and Colorado.
During my career, I have worked in all areas of OT, including pediatrics, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, geriatrics, lymphedema, hand therapy, and driver rehabilitation. In 2018, my husband and I returned to North Dakota to be closer to family and eventually start my own OT practice – Dak-Minn Driving and Home Evaluations.
As an Occupational Therapist, I offer a breadth of experience from home assessments to safety screening to driving evaluations and beyond. I have the skillset and expertise to help you reach your goals.
Whether behind the wheel or in the home, I am passionate about helping people regain their autonomy & achieve independence!
Licensed in both North Dakota and Minnesota as Occupational Therapist
2020 Completed training in Driver Rehabilitation
2018 Certified Lymphedema Specialist (excessive swelling in arms and legs).
1991 Certified Hand Therapist
1984 Licensed as an Occupational Therapist
Volunteer with various church activities and community projects
Guest Lecturer – most recently presented on The Role of Occupational Therapy with Fitness to Drive to Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students at the University of North Dakota and to the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Northland Community and Technical College, as well as on Driving After a Brain Injury to the Mind Matters Conference of the North Dakota Brain Injury Network.
Owner of another successful private practice several years ago in Sioux Falls, SD
Member American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Member Association for Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (ADED)
Member North Dakota Occupational Therapy Association
Community Partner: ND Brain Injury Network
Community Partner: AAA
Community Partner: MS Society