Occupational Therapy

Reporters:
Madelo, Ruby & Estopace, Marr
 WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
• Occupational therapy is a client-centered health profession
concerned with promoting health and well being through
occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to
enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life.
• The purpose of occupational therapy is to help individuals
attain the highest level of self-sufficiency possible.
 WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
• Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by working with
people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in
the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do,
or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better
support their occupational engagement.
• Occupational therapists evaluate patients, set goals to
increase their function and lessen their limitations, and create
treatment plans to achieve these goals.
 WHY WOULD I NEED OT?
• An occupational therapist will evaluate your situation and, with input from you
(and perhaps your family, care provider, or friend), develop individualized goals
that allow you to resume or pursue your valued occupations. After you develop
goals with your occupational therapist, you will work together on a specific
intervention plan to help improve or maintain your ability to perform daily
activities and reach your goals getting back to your life.
• Occupational therapy practitioners can widen their focus to groups or
communities too, developing and implementing programs that promote healthy
behaviors, or address particular issues such as older driving, community
transitions for returning soldiers, homelessness, troubled youth, mental health,
and addictions.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PT & OT
Occupational Therapy:
Focuses on improving a client’s ability to perform
activities of daily living.
Physical Therapy:
Focuses more on improving a client’s ability to perform
movement of the human body.
 SERVICES OFFERED BY OT
• Occupational therapists routinely provide evaluations and
treatment to patients in the following areas: cardiology,
critical care units, medical/surgery, neurology, oncology,
orthopedics, pediatrics and vascular service.
• Provide care for individuals with hand/wrist/elbow trauma,
tendonitis, neurological trauma, neurodegenerative diseases,
chronic conditions, concussion, traumatic and acquired brain
injuries (TBI), and work/sport injuries.
EXAMPLE OF VARIOUS TREATMENT METHODS
USED BY OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
• Custom orthosis (splint) fabrication
• Neuromuscular re-education
• Therapeutic activity including functional tasks/task simulation
• Therapeutic exercise
• Training in the use of adaptive techniques/equipment
• Use of physical agent modalities
WHO ARE THE OT PRACTITIONERS?
• Occupational therapy practitioners are either occupational
therapists or occupational therapy assistants.
• OT practitioners address psychological, social, and environmental
factors that can affect functioning in different ways.
• Occupational therapists are also able to assess and recommend
assistive technology and/or environmental modifications that will
assist individuals to engage in the occupations of everyday life.
 WHERE DO OT WORK?
• Occupational therapists work in a variety of settings.
These could include hospitals, rehabilitation centers,
nursing facilities, home health, outpatient clinics, private
practice, school systems, private organizations, industry,
and community agencies such as return to work
programs, prisons, and community settings. The number
of different places where therapists work is growing
every year.
HOW DO I SCHEDULE AN OT VISIT?
• Ask your physician about a referral for
occupational therapy services or look for a
private practice in your community. Talk to
your child’s teacher about occupational
therapy services at school.