All you need to know about Occupational Therapy (OT)
At times, people face injuries, illnesses, or disabilities that hamper their ability to perform simple everyday activities such as brushing, bathing, gardening, cleaning, and more. This can be an emotionally and physically taxing experience for the patient. It affects their self-confidence, self-esteem, motor skills, balance, etc. These patients require a well-rounded rehabilitation and the right care to get back on their feet. And this is where Occupational Therapy (OT) comes into the picture.
Read on to know more.
What is Occupational Therapy?
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Occupational Therapists help people across their lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. In simple terms, Occupational Therapy interventions often comprise, helping children with disabilities learn to navigate through school and social situations, injury rehabilitation, and providing support for geriatrics undergoing physical and cognitive changes. The best part about Occupational Therapy is — it is used as a treatment for patients among all age groups, in all sorts of settings.
Typically, Occupational Therapy includes:
• Individualized evaluation of patient’s problem
• Goal-setting based on the evaluation
• Customized intervention to help patients’ enhance their ability to perform daily activities and reach the set goals
• Thorough evaluation of the results to ensure positive outcomes
Occupational Therapy is all about holistic care as it involves looking into the physical, psychological, and social abilities of a patient. Often, an Occupational Therapist studies the patient in his or her natural environment and observes how they interact with daily activities (occupations) and people around them. This gives a deeper insight into patients’ needs and helps the therapists set realistic goals.
Post assessment and goal-setting, Occupational Therapists curate routines and interventions that are unique to the needs of the patient. For example, if a patient is recovering from a stroke, he or she may be interested in preparing her meals while in recovery. So the Occupational Therapist may come up with a strategy involving hand-related exercises that would build the patient’s fine motor and gross motor skills. This will slowly help the patient perform small activities first, such as reaching the cupboard or stacking up bowls. It will eventually lead up to more complex activities like chopping, grinding, turning on the stove, etc.
Conditions that can be treated using OT:
While OT can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, here are few popular ones:
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy greatly affects the motor skills of a child, making it difficult for him or her to do simple tasks like eating, brushing, or bathing. Occupational Therapy addresses this issue by working on improving muscle and joint coordination through various exercises. These exercises create pathways that process and interpret sensory inputs, thereby helping the child learn to take care of herself or himself.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
OT is a great treatment for autism as its tailor-made approach helps the child improve various life skills. Occupational Therapists often study the child’s environment thoroughly and work closely with parents and teachers to develop effective exercises and strategies.
This treatment for autism mainly helps increase the child’s attention span, response to stimuli, and interaction with peers.
Multiple Sclerosis
For patients with Multiple Sclerosis, routine activities can become a huge challenge as the connection between brain and body deteriorates. However, the patients can manage the condition well and cope with their changing body through OT as it provides personalized, computerized cognitive training programs that can improve attention, memory, information processing, and executive functioning.
Brain Injuries
Brain injuries are complex and they take a long time for recovery. During this rehabilitation period, OT plays a crucial role in helping patients regain their independence. Occupational Therapists introduce interventions that form a link between limbs and brain, enhancing the patient’s ability to learn and perform their daily tasks. The same techniques are also used to help people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia remember things, thereby forming mental connections.
Note: The OT approach and treatment described may vary depending on the patient’s condition.
Benefits of OT:
• Promotes independence of the patient
• Improves the strength and endurance of the patient to perform functional tasks
• Prevents unnecessary hospital stays and visits
• Focuses on achieving long-term results
• Boosts memory and cognitive skills of geriatric patients
• Enhances quality of life
OT at Plexus:
At Plexus, we offer comprehensive Occupational Therapy services to all our patients, helping them perform Activities of Daily Living (ADL) with great ease. Our experienced doctors and therapists provide tailor-made recovery plans that help patients get back on their feet within no time.
Under the umbrella of Occupational Therapy, we offer:
• Sensory Integration Therapy
• Balance and Coordination Training
• Hand Function Training
• Handwriting Training
• Splinting and Adaptive Devices
• ADL Training
• Work Simulation
• Oromotor Therapy
• Psychosocial Rehabilitation (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Activity Scheduling, and Vocational Rehabilitation)
Read on to know more.
What is Occupational Therapy?
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Occupational Therapists help people across their lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. In simple terms, Occupational Therapy interventions often comprise, helping children with disabilities learn to navigate through school and social situations, injury rehabilitation, and providing support for geriatrics undergoing physical and cognitive changes. The best part about Occupational Therapy is — it is used as a treatment for patients among all age groups, in all sorts of settings.
Typically, Occupational Therapy includes:
• Individualized evaluation of patient’s problem
• Goal-setting based on the evaluation
• Customized intervention to help patients’ enhance their ability to perform daily activities and reach the set goals
• Thorough evaluation of the results to ensure positive outcomes
Occupational Therapy is all about holistic care as it involves looking into the physical, psychological, and social abilities of a patient. Often, an Occupational Therapist studies the patient in his or her natural environment and observes how they interact with daily activities (occupations) and people around them. This gives a deeper insight into patients’ needs and helps the therapists set realistic goals.
Post assessment and goal-setting, Occupational Therapists curate routines and interventions that are unique to the needs of the patient. For example, if a patient is recovering from a stroke, he or she may be interested in preparing her meals while in recovery. So the Occupational Therapist may come up with a strategy involving hand-related exercises that would build the patient’s fine motor and gross motor skills. This will slowly help the patient perform small activities first, such as reaching the cupboard or stacking up bowls. It will eventually lead up to more complex activities like chopping, grinding, turning on the stove, etc.
Conditions that can be treated using OT:
While OT can be used to treat a wide range of conditions, here are few popular ones:
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral Palsy greatly affects the motor skills of a child, making it difficult for him or her to do simple tasks like eating, brushing, or bathing. Occupational Therapy addresses this issue by working on improving muscle and joint coordination through various exercises. These exercises create pathways that process and interpret sensory inputs, thereby helping the child learn to take care of herself or himself.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
OT is a great treatment for autism as its tailor-made approach helps the child improve various life skills. Occupational Therapists often study the child’s environment thoroughly and work closely with parents and teachers to develop effective exercises and strategies.
This treatment for autism mainly helps increase the child’s attention span, response to stimuli, and interaction with peers.
Multiple Sclerosis
For patients with Multiple Sclerosis, routine activities can become a huge challenge as the connection between brain and body deteriorates. However, the patients can manage the condition well and cope with their changing body through OT as it provides personalized, computerized cognitive training programs that can improve attention, memory, information processing, and executive functioning.
Brain Injuries
Brain injuries are complex and they take a long time for recovery. During this rehabilitation period, OT plays a crucial role in helping patients regain their independence. Occupational Therapists introduce interventions that form a link between limbs and brain, enhancing the patient’s ability to learn and perform their daily tasks. The same techniques are also used to help people with Alzheimer’s and Dementia remember things, thereby forming mental connections.
Note: The OT approach and treatment described may vary depending on the patient’s condition.
Benefits of OT:
• Promotes independence of the patient
• Improves the strength and endurance of the patient to perform functional tasks
• Prevents unnecessary hospital stays and visits
• Focuses on achieving long-term results
• Boosts memory and cognitive skills of geriatric patients
• Enhances quality of life
OT at Plexus:
At Plexus, we offer comprehensive Occupational Therapy services to all our patients, helping them perform Activities of Daily Living (ADL) with great ease. Our experienced doctors and therapists provide tailor-made recovery plans that help patients get back on their feet within no time.
Under the umbrella of Occupational Therapy, we offer:
• Sensory Integration Therapy
• Balance and Coordination Training
• Hand Function Training
• Handwriting Training
• Splinting and Adaptive Devices
• ADL Training
• Work Simulation
• Oromotor Therapy
• Psychosocial Rehabilitation (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral Therapy, Activity Scheduling, and Vocational Rehabilitation)
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