Occupational Therapy- “Living Life to Its Fullest”
The Therapy for the Skills of Living

Many people may not be as familiar with Occupational Therapy as Physical Therapy. Occupational Therapy is the therapy to help people in developing the “skills for the job of living” independent and satisfying lives. The first thing most people ask when approached by an Occupational Therapist is “are we going to get them a job”. People make the assumption that if we are called Occupational therapists that must mean this is the therapy for work problems. While work is a significant activity of daily living it is only one life occupation that people engage in for only a part their lives. If work does not define a person’s life then the same is true of Occupational Therapy, a person’s job is just one of the activities of daily living addressed in therapy and only if it is relevant to that persons lifestyle. Obviously if the patient were a child or a frail senior citizen finding gainful employment would not be a major issue. Occupational Therapy’s brand name is “Living Life to the Fullest” in whatever way an individual chooses to define that term.

In Stedman’s Medical Dictionary Occupational Therapy is defined as “the evidenced based therapeutic use of self-care, work, and recreational activities to increase independent function, enhance development, and prevent disability; it may include adaptation of tasks or environment to achieve maximum independence and optimum quality of life.” The name of the profession was chosen carefully to reflect it’s principle element the word “occupation” - means occupying ones time with some form of creative or productive activity. It is not limited to the “working years’ of our adulthood but rather all the occupations we engage in throughout our life span. For example a child in grade school has the occupation of learning. A young adult may have the occupation of learning how to care for their young child. A senior may want to continue driving safely in order to stay active in their community. All of these things are occupations and participating in them is vital to maintaining overall health and wellness. OT’s provide interventions to allow each individual to optimize the quality of their lives throughout the life span from birth to death. The OT would help people either re-learn basic skills, modify an existing one or possibly adapt the environment so they can maintain their independence in the activities of daily living, within their many occupations. In fact one of the main items assessed in an OT evaluation are leisure activities. We want to know what gives the individual joy in life. When someone has an acute medical condition, sustains a debilitating injury or succumbs to a chronic illness the idea of having fun gets pushed aside for the more important occupations of taking care of one’s self, family or returning to work. In Occupational Therapy it is equally important to regain the quality of life, as it is to regain basic life skills.

O’Connor Hospital has expanded Occupational Therapy services in both their out-patient Rehabilitation Department and inpatient Swing-Bed unit to 2.5 days each week. The OT Therapist specializes in Assistive Technology can be any tool that helps to maintain or enhance capabilities to perform independent ADL’s, improve mobility, augment communication or enable recreation. It can be as simple as a wide-handled can opener for better gripping to a power wheelchair with environmental controls. Assistive technology services can include evaluation of patient’s physical, psychological, social and functional skills to develop an individual plan for equipment, and training and/or environmental modifications to optimize the person’s functional capabilities. Along with evaluating for adaptive equipment needs the Occupational Therapist will assess the person’s home to fit the equipment to the environment to optimize the person’s independence and safety. Occupational therapy practitioners bring a special knowledge and expertise in home safety and modification to these assessments. Recommending the appropriate location for grab bars, optimal lighting levels, the most suitable ramp incline, and other helpful suggestions are some of the ways that occupational therapy practitioners share their skills. Optimizing the fit between individuals and their environment helps them use their functional abilities to participate in daily life activities. Occupational therapy plays a key role in identifying strategies that enable individuals to modify their homes and support systems to meet this need.

For More Information Contact:
Helen Tari, Occupational Therapist,
O’Connor Hospital, 607 746-0329