Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy is one major treatment wherein it focuses on aiding people to achieve independence in all key areas in life belonging in different age groups. Along with this treatment, awareness on the history, concepts, benefits, similarities and differences with other therapy treatments, as an effective method to make older people healthy, people who might need it or not, evident-based practices, and literature as well as mapping the literature should always be acquired.
The Concept of Occupational Therapy
What is occupational therapy? I know there are plenty of people around that do not know the concept of occupational therapy in our health care. Also, there are still some people wondering, what is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy is also called as “OT” by most people. However, there are some that calls occupational therapy as OT but don’t exactly or fully understand the concept of it. The concept of occupational therapy is somehow complex. It is the therapeutic use of play activities, self-care and work in increasing developments as well as preventions of disabilities. It may also include adaptation of environment or task to be able to achieve the maximum independence as well as enhancing the life’s quality.
The term “occupation” in occupational therapy is usually the basis of its professional title. In occupational therapy, “occupation” refers to the chief engagement of a health care professional of his business, profession, trade and time. With the time spent in every occupational therapy session, there are several divisions or categories. Among these categories include self-care, work and leisure. The self-care division of occupational therapy would often include toileting, dressing, grooming, eating and sleeping. The work division refers to the effort exerted on doing or making something or more even know as the art of performing a task. For the leisure division, it refers to the unoccupied or free time that one uses in doing something that they enjoy such as a hobby, traveling, listening to music, writing, reading, chilling out, socializing, watching television, socializing and doing your hobbies. As a general conclusion for the definitive term of “occupation” in the word occupational therapy, it refers on how time is spent, whether paid or unpaid and an obligation or a choice. Occupational therapy is something that will fulfill every person, something that will give every person a purpose in life as it allows you to interact as well as be productive and functional in the world. It allows every person to be in the best of his or her abilities in the environment where he or she belongs.
The term “therapy” in occupational therapy refers to a present condition in your life such as disability, injury or illness. These conditions sometimes originated upon your birth or sometimes acquired in your life. Because of these conditions, we don’t tend to function independently or accordingly in your occupational areas. So, this is where the function of therapy in occupational therapy comes in as it helps you regain and maintains the levels of your functioning. It also helps you make accommodations for the deficits you are experiencing. It is the job of therapy to figure out on what areas in your body that are suffering. Therapy also assists every person to perform activities in ways that are independent, successful and functional.
The goals of occupational therapy include increased in function and independence concerning the physical disabilities and limitations that can be used for repetitive exercises. With these, the performance of meaningful activities is simultaneously working on increasing mobility and function.