What is Occupational Therapy?
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy often carries many misconceptions including: “Can you help someone find a job?”, “You are the same as Physio right?”, “OT is only concerned about my physical health?”, “OT only works with the elderly”.
In fact, Occupational Therapy is many things to many different people. Occupation can be defined by anything that occupies your time, which is a lot of things! Essentially, OT services can be broken down into three domains which include supporting individuals with their self-care, productivity, and leisure.
Self-Care
Includes activities such as personal care (bathing, toileting, dressing, feeding), functional mobility, and community management (grocery shopping, driving, taking public transportation, managing finances).
Productivity
Includes contributing to society through paid and unpaid work — employment, volunteering, parenting, school, and play.
Leisure
Includes simply enjoying life — skiing, riding a bike or horse, watching tv, reading, gardening, sports, walking your dog, etc.
What is an
Occupational Therapist?
Occupational therapists are health care professionals who utilize evidence-based practice, research, scientific evidence, and a holistic perspective to promote independence, meaningful occupations, and one's functional ability to fulfill their daily routines and roles.
