How occupational therapy can help you

Occupational therapy focuses on helping people participate more fully in their daily lives by building or restoring the skills needed for everyday activities.

Whether someone is recovering from an injury, managing a chronic condition, or adapting to physical or cognitive changes, occupational therapy supports independence and overall quality of life.

This blog explains what occupational therapy is, how it helps, and the types of activities it can support so you can better understand how it fits into a broader care plan.

What is occupational therapy?

Occupational therapy (OT) can be a very beneficial form of treatment. OT gets its name from the belief that we all possess “occupational roles” in our lives (e.g., parent, hobbyist, spouse, or employee). OT care helps to build or restore basic motor functions and cognitive and emotional skills to execute these roles.

An occupational therapist can:

• Help youth with disabilities to better perform in school and social situations
• Help people recover from injury to regain skills
• Guide older adults who are experiencing physical and cognitive changes

OT exists to help restore independent, productive, and fulfilling lives to individuals who may be struggling with mental, developmental, physical, or emotional difficulties. It can help these people develop, recover, or maintain daily living and work skills.

OT promotes independence to maximize functional abilities and takes into account the patient's physical, psychological, and social well-being, as well as environmental factors.

ADLs and IADLs

Occupational therapy involves two types of activities. These include activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Activities of daily living (ADLs) can consist of:

• Personal hygiene
• Functional mobility
• Bathing/showering
• Bladder control
• Eating
• Dressing
• Personal care
• Sexual activity
• Sleeping

Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) include:

• Cooking
• Cleaning
• Laundry
• Driving
• Shopping
• Parenting
• Use of communication devices
• Community mobility
• Financial management
• Domestic tasks

How occupational therapists help

Occupational therapists use a combination of assessment and treatment to help patients develop, recover, or maintain the daily living and work skills to achieve independence in all areas of their lives.

OT focuses on adapting the environment, modifying the task, teaching the skill, and educating the patient or family to better participate in and perform daily activities. Occupational therapists’ services typically include:

• Comprehensive assessments of home and job environments and recommendations for adaptation
• Individualized treatment plans aimed at improving the ability to perform activities of daily living
• Recommendations and training in the use of adaptive devices or equipment
• Guidance and support for caregivers and family members
• An individualized evaluation to determine the patient’s goals for treatment
• An outcome assessment to ensure the patient’s goals are being met

Some occupational therapists also hold advanced certifications, such as Certified Hand Therapist (CHT), which allows them to support individuals recovering from hand injuries, surgery, and degenerative conditions.

If you would like to learn more about how occupational therapy is used in different care settings and whether it may be appropriate for your needs, a healthcare provider at Pomona Valley Health Centers can help guide your next steps.