Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational therapists (OT) provide rehabilitative services to individuals with mental, physical, or developmental impairments. Whether someone has trouble performing day-to-day activities due to an illness, injury, or disability, occupational therapy is about teaching people how to work within their limitations so they can live as independently as possible.
The rehabilitation process starts with the occupational therapist assessing the client and creating a highly individualized treatment plan. The occupational therapy assistant puts the plan into action and informs the occupational therapist of the client’s progress.
What to Expect
Occupational therapy services typically include:
- an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
- customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
- an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.