WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
The term occupation refers to activities that are meaningful to the individual within the environments in which the person lives and functions.
"Occupational therapy - skills for the job of living" according to the American Occupational Therapy Association
Occupational therapy is a very diverse field of practice. It caters to every age group from the neonatal hospital unit to the geriatric population. Occupational therapists are devoted to caring for persons with physical, mental, emotional, and developmental disabilities. Their focus is to enable individuals to maintain or return to their greatest level of independence with self-care, work, and play. Treatments will address difficulties with dressing, bathing, grooming, driving and other activities of daily living. Aside from activities of daily living and orthopedic treatments, occupational therapists perform wheelchair evaluations, home safety assessments and ergonomic assessments.
Occupational therapy treats upper extremity injuries using modalities, manual therapy, therapeutic exercise and splinting to improve ROM, strength, fine motor skills, sensation and function. Occupational therapists treat the lower extremity/back to address function with activities of daily living. An example is treating a hip fracture. The occupational therapist will issue adaptive equipment, arrange his/her environment for safety and practice functional tasks in kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. The physical therapist will work with a hip fracture with manual therapy and therapeutic exercise.
Occupational therapy treats many different diagnosis that include:
- CVA, neurological impairments
- Work related injuries that include traumatic and repetitive injuries
- Multiple sclerosis, arthritis and other chronic illnesses
- Burns, amputations, spinal cord injuries
- Broken bones or injuries from sports, falls or accidents
Individuals that have shoulder, elbow and hand deficits are seen by occupational therapists to treat the orthopedic problem. The goal is to regain function in the upper extremity for independence with activities of daily living. Patients that have lower extremity and/or back injuries are seen by OT to address the activities of daily living only. These patients are good candidates for both OT and PT.
At PT Northwest, occupational therapy is offered at many of our clinics to make this service more accessible to you. Whenever appropriate, we will work together with other members of our physical rehabilitation team, such as physical and speech therapists, to provide you with a comprehensive approach to your care.
Like its counterparts of physical and speech therapy, occupational therapy is an integral and increasingly important part of modern health care.
You can reach Andrea Britten, MA/OTR Program Director Occupational Therapy Services at 503-508-5468 or email Andrea.
