What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare profession that focuses on helping people participate in daily activities, or “occupations,” that are meaningful and important to them. OT aims to enable individuals to engage in activities that promote health and well-being, improve function, and enhance the quality of life. OT practitioners work with people across the lifespan, from children to older adults, and in various settings, including hospitals, clinics, schools, and community organizations. They help people with physical, cognitive, or emotional challenges that make it difficult to participate in daily activities.

Some examples of OT interventions include:

• Teach children with disabilities how to play and participate in school activities.
• Work with individuals who have mental health conditions to develop coping skills and manage daily activities
• Help adults with physical disabilities develop strategies for everyday tasks, such as bathing, dressing, and cooking.
• Help older adults to maintain independence and prevent falls by providing education and adaptive equipment.

Occupational therapy is important because it helps people to live full and meaningful life, regardless of their abilities or challenges. It is a client-centered profession, meaning that OT practitioners work closely with clients to identify their goals and needs and then develop customized interventions to help them achieve them. By addressing each individual’s unique needs, OT can significantly impact physical, emotional, and social well-being and improve the overall quality of life.

In college, I remember when my professors would ask us what OT was for us. I currently work as a full-time occupational therapist in Homehealth setting- geriatric population. I would always let my patients know what services I can provide them—sharing a script below of how I introduce myself to my senior patients in home health. I hope I don’t offend anyone with this. I just wanted to share how I tried to explain what I do to my elderly patients in the most simple way possible. 

Me: Hi, I am Jennifer, your occupational therapist, and I will do your evaluation today.

Patient: I just had my evaluation with the physical therapist yesterday. 

Me: Ah, yes, I will have to do it again to see if I can provide my services for you. Do you know what occupational therapy is?

Patient: I am retired. I don’t need occupational therapy!

Me: So the difference between a physical therapist and me, your occupational therapist. Physical therapy will focus more from your hips down, working to improve your lower body to perform daily tasks such as walking, standing, and climbing stairs. He will work on improving leg strength and balance, proper use of an ambulatory device for walking, pain management, and many more. Occupational therapy and that is me, will focus more on your hips-up, working to improve your upper body to perform daily tasks such as dressing, toileting, showers, and other activities that you use your arms with that are meaningful for you. I will try to improve arm strengthening, coordination, pain management, and balance training sometimes overlapping with PT but focusing more on daily activities. With that said, what is the most significant activity you want to focus on as your goal for OT? I can also think of ways to modify tasks or parts of your home or use an assistive device to perform that activity. 

Patient: oh, okay, that’s a lot easier to understand and somehow it makes sense. My goal aside from being able to walk, I also want to be able to take a shower by myself safely.

There are rare occasions when a patient would say they know what occupational therapy is, which usually makes me feel so undeniably happy since finally they know what I do!

How about you? How do you explain what occupational therapy is to your patients or to their family members? What are your experiences? Kindly share it in the comment section below!