What Is Occupational Therapy?

The work you do can have a great impact on your life. Now, the fact is, we all knew this already, and so, it’s hardly news. But the fact is, we hardly knew how much impact work can really have, until very recently, when the researchers came out with their findings. In fact, a lot of detailed studies have been conducted in recent times, and almost all of them reveal the fact that, there is a deep relationship between well-being, health and the occupation. The work atmosphere, quality and importance of work delivered the level of satisfaction and money earned, can all have a deep impact at the functional and physiological levels. A change in profession or job can also have a serious impact on the individual. Occupational therapy, which is also known as OT can help here. So what is occupational therapy, and how can it help? Let us find that out now.

What is occupational therapy – according to the American Occupational Therapy Association executive board, it is “the therapeutic act of offering self-care, play activities and work so that the person’s development can be enhanced, and to ensure that a disability can be prevented”. The therapist or the treatment provider will make an attempt to maximize the feeling of independence of the individual concerned, and try to improve his or her life quality.

The disability part is particularly important here, because the statistics reveal the sorry state in the US now. According to statistics, 18% of all people in the US today have at least one type of disability. This comes to a staggering figure of 52 million. And among them, about 12% are suffering from severe disabilities. This accounts for more than 32 million. And occupational therapist can help here, and naturally, a lot of people are now trying to find out, what occupational therapy is, and how it can help.

Occupational therapy schools are helping people learn what occupational therapy is, and gain the skills to help all these people.

In occupational therapy, there are a few important terms, and they are – occupation, self-care, work, and leisure.

Occupation – This is the work that the person does. In other words, it includes all the activities that fill up his or her time. The activity here refers to the person’s profession or trade obviously.

Self-Care – This deals with eating, sleeping, dressing, toileting and grooming.

Work – This refers to the effort made to perform a job or task.

Leisure – This refers to the free time, and what the person chooses to do in it. The activities could be watching TV, sports, reading and writing, listening to music, traveling and others like this.

The job of the therapist is to intervene and offer treatment in any of these areas, particularly in occupation, when a disability, injury or illness is preventing the person from carrying out the work independently and effectively. The treatment will ensure that the person is able to regain the function and maintain this functioning level. And the person will also learn how to make the adjustments to cover up for any deficit, if any.