Educational Articles
Benefits of Occupational Therapy
The American Occupational Therapy Association defines occupational therapy (OT) as the only profession that helps people across the lifespan do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities.
The profession was born in 1917, the same year the U.S. entered World War I. The sudden need for rehabilitation of soldiers from physical injuries and shell shock was formative in occupational therapy falling under the umbrella of physical medicine, as well as mental health.
Through the process of evaluation, assessment, and interventions, occupational therapists help their patients overcome limitations and restore independence in the activities that matter most to each individual patient.
OT is helpful in the treatment of:
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Cerebral palsy
- Parkinson's
- Orthopedic conditions, including rotator cuff tear/repair, carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and arthritis
Benefits may include:
- maintaining or regaining the ability to perform daily tasks such as bathing, dressing eating, and personal hygiene
- learning how to use recommended adaptive equipment to increase independence with self-cares
- strengthening fine and gross motor skills, improving coordination and mobility
- assisting with fall prevention through environmental modifications and recommendations (i.e. decluttering a space to make it easier to maneuver through getting rid of throw rugs to decrease the chance of a walker getting caught up on it
- completing home assessments to determine the need for equipment at home, such as a bath bench or toilet riser
- improving or maintaining a caregiver's health and wellness by increasing a care receiver's level of independence with transfers, standing, cares
For more information:
Angella Niblett, PTA, Regional Director of Rehabilitation
info@dovehealthcare.com
715-723-9348, ext 1250
