OTs and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) use scientific bases and a holistic perspective to promote a person's ability to fulfill their daily routines and roles.
Human occupations include activities of daily living, work/vocation, play, education, leisure, rest and sleep, and social participation.
To practice as an occupational therapist, the individual trained in the United States:[1] Employment may include hospitals, clinics, day and community-based rehabilitation centers, home care programs, special schools, industry, and private enterprise.
[citation needed] Occupational therapists are skilled healthcare professionals who promote participation, health, and well-being through meaningful engagement in everyday activities.
Occupational therapists bring attention to a person's unique identity, abilities, strengths, interests, and environment to provide strategies and techniques that will allow clients to live life to the fullest.
Occupational therapists foster promotion of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a sense of achievement through doing, being, and belonging in a client's choice of activities, roles, routines, contexts, and environments.
[citation needed] Pediatric occupational therapists support their communities by providing services to infants, toddlers, children, youth, and their families across a variety of settings that might include schools, clinics, and homes.
The most common areas of practice for a pediatric occupational therapist include: neonatal intensive care units (NICU), early intervention, schools, and outpatient services.
In regard to children, an occupational therapist could contribute by providing early parent training, developmental screenings, tips for wellness and prevention.
[citation needed] Another emerging area of practice for occupational therapy is promoting health and wellness through community-based programming.
[citation needed] OTs work in community-based rehabilitation projects as trainers and educators to help teach community members while facilitating them and developing programs.
[8] Some examples include backpack awareness, promoting physical activity in families, creating inclusive community environments such as churches and health facilities, advocacy at government levels, conducting rallies, etc.
[citation needed] This refers to forced movement of communities by environmental or social factors which causes loss of occupational activities.
Therapists help older people lead more productive, active, and independent lives through a variety of methods, including the use of adaptive equipment.
Occupational therapists work with older people in many varied environments, such as in their homes in the community, in hospital, and in residential care facilities to name a few.
In the home environment, occupational therapists may work with the individuals to assess for hazards and to identify environmental factors that contribute to falls.
In addition, therapists with specialized training in driver rehabilitation assess an individual's ability to drive using both clinical and on-the-road tests.
The evaluations allow the therapist to make recommendations for adaptive equipment, training to prolong driving independence, and alternative transport options.
[citation needed] During World War II, occupational therapy began to play a far bigger role in the treatment of soldiers in psychiatric hospitals run by or for the British military.
[14] Skilled interventions with clients may include: Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners help patients with terminal illnesses and conditions by assisting them with their needs related to end-of-life support.
An occupational therapist provides various treatment modalities to help such individuals to restore or maintain their deteriorating performance components by using their remaining capabilities to give them a sense of self-importance and a measure of self-confidence.
In working with patients who have severe health conditions, disabilities and terminal illnesses, the OT clinician will help these individuals engage in meaningful, everyday occupations, as well as exercise the right to well-being and the best quality of life despite the unavoidable conclusion to their lifecycle.
Top-down approaches are considered more broad and focus on the occupation itself while taking into consideration the many contextual factors (environmental, social, cultural, etc.
[20] Occupational therapists often gather additional information by communicating with the client's support system, which may include a child's parents/guardians, a student's teacher, an adult's spouse/siblings/friends, or a senior's caretaker.
Occupational therapists play a significant role in collaborating with Hand/Orthopedic Surgeons, a patient's employers and/or case managers in providing the best client-centered rehabilitation program.
Occupational therapists treat conditions ranging from soft tissue injuries such as tennis elbow to neuropathies such as carpal tunnel syndrome.