Occupational Therapy Programs – 6 Things To Know About The Profession
Occupational therapy programs can be customized to suit the requirement of different individuals. The therapy program deals with helping people regain strength in their limbs after an accident/injury/affliction.
As somebody looking for a challenging, satisfying and financially rewarding career, you cannot go wrong with occupational therapy. However, before you decide to go down that path, here are the top 6 things that you must know:
1) Your job description would include designing occupational therapy programs for people injured in accidents, fibromyalgia patients, elderly people and those that have suffered from brain hemorrhage, stroke, etc. Basically, anyone who is unable to perform basic physical activities or has muscle related ailments/problems needs occupational therapy to resume his/her normal life.
2) The idea is to devise a set of exercises and offer support to your patients so that they can gradually become independent again. Giving motivational pep talks to patients to keep them on track is also an essential element of any comprehensive occupational therapy programs.
3) Before designing a program, therapists have to take the following factors into consideration:
- The patient’s current physical and mental capabilities (including muscle coordination, strength, usage of materials specific to occupation, memory, cognitive abilities, etc)
- The social as well as infrastructural support that is available to the patient (including family support, financial capability, etc)
Armed with this information, the therapist can create customized programs for their patients, ensuring that they get the best care and support with the resources available to them.
4) Occupational therapy doesn’t end at the clinic. It’s a holistic and ongoing process that requires adaptation and adjustments on the part of the patient’s family as well. While designing occupational therapy programs the therapist therefore, must take the family members into consideration and suggest simple changes like providing for wheelchair ramps, adjusting the height of the desks, counters, making the doorway wider, so that their loved one can adjust to his/her new life.
5) Designing the program, however, is just one aspect of an occupational therapists’ job. The execution or the implementation of the program is equally important as well. For one, since a person undergoing occupational therapy has to re-learn even basic physical movements, the therapist has to make the patient practice everyday things like wearing clothes, picking up an object, flossing, etc, over and over again.
6) Making the patient comfortable with his/her current limitation and teaching them ways to live a normal life is also a crucial part of occupational therapy programs. Adaptability with materials can be improved by making certain changes like using a telephone with large buttons, using key holders so that the grip on the key is improved, using can openers that can be operated with one hand, self opening scissors, velcro ties, special chairs, etc.
Occupational therapy programs can be the key differentiating factor between depression and normality for a person learning to cope with the loss of his/her basic physical abilities. As a therapist, therefore, you will be playing the crucial role of turning around your patient’s life.