WHY OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MATTERS

April is Occupational Therapy Month. The American Occupational Therapy Association defines occupational therapy as "the therapeutic use of work, self-care and play activities to increase development and prevent disability. It may include adaptation of task or environment to achieve maximum independence and to enhance the quality of life."

To understand what this means, we must first understand the meaning of "occupation." Webster's Dictionary describes occupation as "an activity which one engages in" and "the principal business of one's life."

A person's occupation can therefore be defined as the way in which we occupy our time. Our time is divided into three categories of activities that we take part in daily: self-care, or activities of daily living(including sleeping, eating, grooming, dressing and toileting), work (defined as the effort that is exerted to do or make something or perform a task), and leisure (free, unoccupied time that a person chooses to do something they enjoy). Occupational therapy focuses on "doing" whatever occupations or activities are meaningful to the individual. It is occupational therapy's purpose to get beyond problems to the solutions that assure living life to its fullest. These solutions may be adaptations for how to do a task, changes to the surroundings, or helping individuals to alter their own behaviors.

Occupational therapy and its use of activity as a means of regaining health and function has been around for centuries and was especially used in the treatment of mental disabilities. However, occupational therapy only became established as a formal profession in 1917, when services were needed to help returning soldiers regain function after World War I.

Today, occupational therapists can be found throughout the community, in hospitals and outpatient centers, rehabilitative centers, nursing facilities, home health, outpatient clinics, private practices, mental health centers, day care programs, school systems, senior centers, private organizations, industry and community agengies such as return-to-work programs, prisons and community settings.

What services do occupational therapy practitioners provide? Through evaluation and treatment, occupational therapy practitioners help people perform functional activities such as caring for personal needs like bathing and dressing; participating in school, work and leisure pursuits; performing household tasks, such as shopping and cooking; being involved in job tasks and participating in the community; relearning use of an injured hand or limb; and selection of adaptive equipment for tasks, including reaching, bathing and homemaking.

Who can benefit from occupational therapy? People of any age whose ability to function in daily life has been affected by health problems such as: arthritis, burns, stroke, amputation, hand injury, birth defects, mental retardation, autism, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, depression, learning disability, substance abuse and mental health impairment.

The American Occupational Therapy Association, founded in 1917, represents the interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants and students nationwide. The association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards - including accreditations - and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., the association's major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, visit www.aota.org. Currently, a registered occupational therapist has a master's degree, and doctoral degree programs are starting to show up in several universities around the country. A certified occupational therapy assistant has to have an associate degree.

source: auburnpub.com/lifestyles/article