April is Occupational Therapy Month

 
 
April is OT Month! Time to take a moment and show your appreciation to the Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistant’s around you.
 

A Consumer’s Guide to Occupational Therapy – Courtesy of the American Occupational Therapy Association
 
The person who needs occupational therapy could be your father or mother facing changes because of aging. It could be your child, frustrated with being unable to do the seemingly simple things the other children at school can do. It could be you or your spouse coping with illness or the results of an accident. It could be anyone who, for whatever reason, can’t do the things in life they want or need to do.
 
Occupational therapy is therapy based on performing the meaningful activities of daily life (self-care skills, education, work, or social interaction), especially to enable or enhance participation in such activities despite impairments or limitations in physical or mental functioning.* Occupational therapy is for individuals of all ages-to improve skills that help them perform daily tasks at home and at school, at work and at play.
 
Occupational therapy practitioners are skilled professionals. Their education includes the study of human growth and development, with specific emphasis on the social, emotional and physical effects of illness and injury. They help individuals with illnesses, injuries, certain conditions or disabilities get on with their “occupations” of living.
 
Occupational therapy practitioners are unique in that they look at the whole picture when it comes to a person’s treatment- the individual’s abilities, the task to be performed, and the environment in which the task takes place.
 
In a team of healthcare specialists, a surgeon, for example, will operate on your injured knee. A physical therapist will devise a series of exercises to help the knee heal properly with a maximum range of motion. An occupational therapist will ask, “What do you need your knee to do? What activities do you want to do, so you can adapt (the way you walk, drive, move around at home, etc.) to that knee,” thereby determining the right treatment for keeping you mobile and an active participant in your own life.
 
There are many real-life stories of the wonderful transformations that people undergo with the help of occupational therapy. Read stories.
 
Chances are, you or a family member will need occupational therapy at some point in your life. Learn more about the value of occupational therapy, across the lifecycle, so that you are ready to seek the right treatment for your loved one when the time comes.
 
 
For more information on how to celebrate OT Month, here is a link to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) website:
 
Celebrate OT Month