What are occupational Therapists?

What are occupational therapists?

• Occupational therapy practitioners are highly trained health care professionals.


• Our college education includes the study of human growth and development.


• It emphasizes the social, emotional, and physiological effects of illness and injury.


• We consider all aspects of the person's life to find the best, most relevant, practical enabling solutions.
  

What is the purpose of occupational therapy?

I would say our overall goal is to promote health and wellness by finding solutions that enable people to live lives to their fullest.


What role do OT's have in health care?

Our role's vary. It depends on the setting. But usually, an OT will try to find the best solution(s) for the person they are working with

• to maximize abilities


• to improve safety


• to increase or maintain or restore independence


• to promote or enhance the quality of life.

OT's work with people who

• are healthy
• are injured
• have diseases
• have conditions that limit their ability to actively participate in life
• are at risk of injury or ill health
  

You will see OT's working with

• High risk infants, children, teenagers
• Developmentally challenged
• Adults and seniors
• Physically and or mentally challenged
• The dying
• Pre- and post surgical patients
• People who have hand injuries or motor vehicle injuries
• People who have work injuries
• In the armed forces, peace corps
• Athletes
• The list is endless, etc.

What role do OT's have in non-medical settings?

In non medical settings, occupational therapists may work with groups or organizations as consultants or in leadership roles.

Our overall goals are usually to promote health and wellness, but maybe on a much larger scale.

Generally speaking, our duty might be to educate others. We may work to enable our clients to find useful, practical solutions that maximize abilities, safety, independence and/or quality of life of "customers", "clients," "parishioners," "taxpayers," communities, etc.

The role varies according to the setting and the goal. Our goal might just be to promote health and well being, such as with new moms and their babies.

OT's are now involved in the mainstream of so many different businesses and programs. OT's offer an amazing "wholistic" perspective. So many businesses are seeing the benefit of hiring occupational therapists as health and wellness consultants or lifestyle coaches because of our unique educational background.

I am certainly available. For more information, see www.safeaging.com. Well, that is all about occupational therapy.

After this, unless anyone wants to talk more about this, we will move on to talk about health, injury prevention, safety, and other wise aging tips.

That's it for today. The end of my first blogging experience. Now, if I can only manage to get this blog posted, I can call it a night. Good night all

.