An occupational therapist is NOT to help people find jobs. OT's help people engage and participate in occupations of daily life that are both purposeful and meaningful to them. There are eight basic categories of occupation: Basic Activities of Daily Living (grooming, dressing, bathing...), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (money management, shopping), Education, Work, Play, Leisure, Rest and Sleep, and Social Participation. All these basic occupations require certain skills that are termed Performance Skills to be able to engage in them successfully.
Thus our overall goal as Occupational Therapists is when there is a person with a certain disfunction, impairment or any deficit causing limitation in these "performance skills"we want to move them back to their prior level of function so they can be able to engage in these occupations once again. We want to maintain their optimal quality of life in order to provide them with the most independance possible. OT's do this through the use of various actvities which we will elaborate on in our next blog so stayyyy tuned!!!
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ReplyDeleteExcellent detailed description of what OT is. No one I asked can explain it this well. Thanks
ReplyDeleteVery well stated. I know that there are OTs that work in mental health settings. Would you be able to explain what they do to help them please? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great job? You breakdown each activity to help the person function themselves!I think OT is great because it helps with improving the quality of life for the patients something small like putting their socks on can boost their self esteem and do wonders in other areas as well!
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question:OT's help patients improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments. They work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling condition. OT use treatments to develop, recover, or maintain the daily skills. Ot's can help patients controll fears to better function as well as come up with effective treatment plans to get them more stable. Do you need treatment ideas as well?
ReplyDeleteWonderful Explanation! OTs are such a vital part of the healthcare team and really make tremendous differences in people's lives by increasing their independence, freedom, and overall sense of well being. To be able to perform ADL's means that you could function normally in society and that benefit is priceless!
ReplyDeleteExcellent way of defining our role as an Occupational Therapist. Numerous individuals have asked me to explain exactly what we do but it is hard to put into words (we know what we do but it is hard to explain it). Thank you. I will definitely be utilizing your definition the next time I am approached and asked what I exactly do as an OT.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm developing a more clear picture. It seems all the OTs I know from my neighborhood are helpful people and you are no exception!
ReplyDeleteI found this article and thought it was interesting.
ReplyDeletehttp://occupational-therapy.advanceweb.com/Features/Articles/A-Framework-for-Success.aspx
Very informative and interesting article about Bipolar Disorder. thanks for sharing. Keep the OT information coming
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent definition of what OTs do. I know my professors would give you an A++ for that. I always have a hard time explaining our profession to outsiders. Also, Erica that is an interesting article.
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