What is occupational therapy?
An occupation is any task that you want to be accomplished: getting out of bed, taking a shower, cooking, going out with friends, or working.
For a variety of reasons such as illness, injury or disability, it may be difficult to perform any of these tasks.
An occupational therapist is a healthcare professional who helps you adapt to make a task easier and keep doing what is important to you.
How can occupational therapy help?
Occupational therapists work with a variety of people, from children to older adults. Depending on his or her specialization, an occupational therapist may help someone with:
- Visually impaired
- Hearing problems
- Brain injury or stroke
- Arthritis
- Spinal cord injury
- Diabetes
- Cerebral palsy
- Mental health problems
- Severe injuries
- Autism
Occupational therapy is much more oriented towards adaptation.
What does occupational therapy consist of?
The first appointment with an occupational therapist usually consists of an assessment of the person’s situation. This includes a history of any conditions they have, and in particular, any differences between what they could do in the past and what they can do now.
Goal setting is an important part of occupational therapy. The therapist will work with the person to determine what activities are most important to him/her and set clear goals to improve his/her ability to perform them.
What often differentiates occupational therapy from physical therapy is that while a physical therapist focuses on improving body function and movement, an occupational therapist asks if there is a way to accomplish a task. Therefore, occupational therapy is much more oriented towards adaptation.
An occupational therapist could offer advice on:
- Alternative movements for getting in and out of the bathroom
- Alternative ways of dressing
- How to break a task, e.g. cooking, into smaller parts to make it easier
- Assistive equipment to help with walking
- How to adapt the home to make things safer and easier
Alternatives to occupational therapy
If you are going through a period of recovery after an injury or surgery, a physical therapist can help you restore movement and function, as well as give you tips for avoiding future injuries.
In some cases, an occupational therapist will recommend equipment that may be provided free of charge by your local council. In this situation, you may need a separate needs assessment with a council occupational therapist if the original appointment was with a private occupational therapist.