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Occupational therapy is skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence with their daily tasks. Even the simplest of daily tasks, such as brushing one’s teeth or preparing a meal, can become a challenge when an illness or injury occurs. In cases such as this, an occupational therapist will work with the individual to help them regain the skills or strength they have lost.
People of all ages can benefit from occupational therapy services. Babies who have suffered birth injuries or have developmental problems can work with an Occupational Therapist (OT) to master basic skills such as eating, playing, and interacting with others.
Individuals who have experienced work-related injuries, such as lower back problems or repetitive stress injuries, may also warrant occupational therapy services. An OT will work closely with the patient to help them learn safe ways to perform certain tasks, so that further injury can be avoided. If patients have physical limitations that prevent them from performing certain duties, the OT may also recommend some modifications in how these duties can be performed. In this way, patients can often be successful in the workplace, despite their physical restrictions.
Traumatic injuries such as burns, spinal cord injuries, or amputations can also present many challenges for a patient. This sudden disability can be very frustrating, especially if the patient was very independent prior to his or her accident. Occupational therapy can help these individuals learn to function in their daily life despite these new limitations.
In contrast, geriatric populations can suffer from a wide variety of health conditions that can limit mobility and independence over time. Arthritis or multiple sclerosis, for example, can make climbing stairs or opening a jar of spaghetti sauce increasingly difficult as their condition worsens. Alzheimer’s patients also require help for many activities of daily living as they have difficulty remembering how to perform certain tasks. Stroke patients can also benefit from occupational therapy services when they have difficulty with fine motor activities, such as styling their hair or feeding themselves with a utensil.
In each of these situations, patients can benefit from OT interventions in an effort to regain some level of independence with activities of daily living. Occupational therapy is often recommended in conjunction with physical therapy (and sometimes speech therapy) so that all of the patient’s limitations can be addressed. This combined effort helps stimulate the development (or reestablishment) of motor patterns that allow us to perform several tasks at once, such as getting up from a chair and walking to the kitchen to fix a snack.
HealthWorks employs two Occupational Therapists, Parker Grimes and Danielle Ford. Parker is the Coordinator of Occupational Services, and uses his training to help patients develop the muscular strength, endurance, and coordination to return to work despite their physical limitations. Patients benefit from one-on-one instruction in the proper performance of certain tasks, such as lifting a heavy object to a shelf, or shoveling gravel. By using proper biomechanics, workers are less likely to re-injure themselves and therefore will be healthier, and more productive, employees.
Danielle works at MontPointe Continuing Care Center, and specializes in treating geriatric populations. Danielle works as part of a multidisciplinary team, which includes a physical therapist and a speech therapist. Danielle helps patients become independent with personal hygiene tasks and other activities of daily living. As a patient’s skill and strength improve, he/she may be discharged from the facility and return home to resume a more independent lifestyle.
For more information about occupational therapy, visit the website of the American Occupational Therapy Association at www.aota.org.
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