So, this month I thought I would start a blog to tell you more about me, what I do, and how I might be able to help! I will be posting regularly with idea’s, tips, and hints, or sharing interesting articles.
This month I wanted to try to answer the question, “Why use an Occupational Therapist?”
The Royal College of Occupational Therapy (RCOT), of which I am a member, defines occupational therapy (OT) as:
Occupational therapy helps you live your best life at home, at work – and everywhere else. It’s about being able to do the things you want and have to do. That could mean helping you overcome challenges learning at school, going to work, playing sport or simply doing the dishes. Everything is focused on increasing independence and wellbeing.
It’s also a science-based, health and social care profession that’s regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council.
Meaningful activities, such as those listed above, are the "occupation" in occupational therapy. They are anything you want to be able to do independently, and can be related to self-care, leisure, or vocation - and the list is endless!
How can occupational therapy help you?
As I’ve mentioned above, occupational therapy can help with a wide variety of tasks, but some of the most common ways an OT can help you regain your independence can be associated with:
Self-care
· Having a shower
· Getting dressed
· Cooking a meal
Leisure
· Reading
· Gardening
· Cycling
· Visiting the local community
Vocational
· Paid work
· Voluntary work
· Unpaid roles
· College
The role of an occupational therapist is to facilitate maximum independence to engage in the chosen meaningful activities. The meaningful activity will vary person to person, which is why it’s important to work with an occupational therapist who will put in the work to identify what is important to you.
So why do you need a trained OT to do these everyday tasks?
Can’t you just give it a go, or get friends and family to help you practice? For some people this may work, for others it may give limited success, and for others this could be unsafe or cause other difficulties (such as dependency or anxiety, either in the individual or in the person trying to help them).
I will always encourage independent work between sessions, and it will be part of the treatment plan. Often clients will engage willing family and friends as "rehab assistants", and guidance can be given to ensure this is done in a safe and effective way.
Working with an occupational therapist means you will be supported to recover or manage your condition and/or to achieve your goals in the most efficient and safest way, and often with greater success, independence, and confidence, than going it alone.
Working with a therapist with the knowledge and experience of your condition and how it can impact function can also prevent you from falling foul of the damaging habits people can develop when trying to go it alone. These include developing abnormal movement patterns that can lead to poor posture and pain, learned “non-use” of a limb, taking unnecessary risks because the individual is unaware of equipment or adaptations that could improve their ability or unhealthy psychological coping mechanisms.
How does an occupational therapist help?
Occupational therapists are trained to assess you as an individual. Through consultation and assessment, I will gain an understanding of your physical and cognitive skills as well as your sensory processing, alongside discovering what your spirituality, core beliefs and motivating factors are.
We are also experts in analysing both the environment and the task. This means appreciating how the spaces you live and move within can be impacting you and considering how changing them may support you.
Activity analysis allows us to break down the task and consider how this might be impacting on you. I will problem solve with you, adapting the task, or adapting your approach in order to maximise your feeling of independence, control and success!
We can start off with a free 20-minute consultation to identify what your needs are and if occupational therapy is the right next step for you. Get in touch to book a phone call to start your journey to independence.
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