Occupational Therapy: Promoting Independence and Well-being

Running head: OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational therapy treatment is mainly found to focus on helping people who
have sensory, physical as well as cognitive disability to have as much independence as
possible in all domains of their lives (Karp 2018). Occupational therapy professionals
helps people of all ages to live to the fullest by promoting their health as well as
preventing various vulnerable disorders and living better with illness, injuries as well as
disability. Occupational therapy practitioners are seen to have a holistic perspective
where they focus mainly on adapting the environment and the tasks that fit the person.
It can be described as evidence based practice that can be deeply rooted in the field of
science. This assignment will explore various aspects of occupational therapy in details
and will try to shed more light on its contribution in the present day healthcare system.
Occupational therapists help people of all ages in participating in every activity
they want and need to, through the therapeutic use of the everyday activities. Unlike
that of the other professions, occupational therapists help people in functioning in all of
their environments like that of home, work, school as well as community. They are seen
to address not only the physical but also the psychological and cognitive aspects of their
well-being through engagement in the occupations (Tavemark et al. 2019). They are
seen to work in several of settings where they have they exhibit their own distinct roles.
Firstly, occupational therapists are seen to work with teachers as well as children in the
classrooms to help the latter in developing skills like that of handwriting, computer use
and also provide strategies to teachers to manage the behaviors of the children.
Secondly, occupational therapists are seen to work with the patients who are admitted
in the hospitals after a stroke or an injury. Here, they are seen to fulfill the role of
assessing and treating the cognitive impairment like the problems which affect their

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ability to think, remember as well as communicate in helping patients to recover from
issues related to their conditions. Third, they are also seen to work with clients suffering
from mental ailments in the outpatient programs. They help in assisting people living
with schizophrenia or that of the bipolar disorders and help in managing their conditions
so that they can live independently at home in their own community. Fourth, they fulfill
their roles with clients who had faced workplace or motor vehicle injuries and help in
determining what the client might need in future in order to perform their daily activities
(Armitage et al. 2017). Fifth, they are also seen to work with clients who have
experienced a change in their mental as well as physical abilities or help them to return
to their work by helping them to adapt to the ways by which they do their jobs, what type
of jobs they do or making proper changes in the workplace environment. They help the
clients in identifying and purchasing equipments like that of wheelchairs or bathroom
safety devices to ensure that clients can return safely or remain at home although that
their physical abilities have changed as a result of a condition such as multiple sclerosis
or arthritis.
Occupational therapists should have the skill for analyzing occupations and
utilizing them in their own therapies. This skill of analyzing and prescribing of the
occupations have two important purposes like dealing with problems that are
experienced by service users in every aspect of their daily activities (being classified as
work, leisure and self-care) and the other is the use of occupations as specific
therapeutic interventions for addressing the occupational performance difficulties and
assisting in development of positive occupational identity (Taylor 2016). They should
have the skill in analyzing the abilities and skills of a person that influence the ability in

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engaging in activities. Besides, they should also have the skill of understanding bio-
psychosocial relationships that are seen to exit between the body functions and
structures, activities, environmental factors, participation and quality of life. The second
important skill is environmental analysis and its adaptation. They need to recognize the
different physical as well as social environments that might have important beneficial or
that of detrimental effects on the service users. With the help of environmental analysis,
they would be able to provide information for the behaviors or the ideas and even
suggestions to the clients for therapeutic adaptation. Thirds, they would also need to
have efficient communication and listening skills as they need to ensure holistic well-
being of the person and not only overcoming disabilities. They need to have proper
interpersonal skills by which they would be able to listen to their patients, and also
explain to them the ways they feel or what their symptoms are. Accurate listening helps
in communicating effectively along with reflecting back on what the patient has told.
They need to spend most time with their patients or teaching them about procedures,
exercises and therapies (Hyett et al. 2016). Unless a strong therapeutic relationship and
close rapport are developed with patients, the latter would not feel comfortable in
working. So communication and listening skills are must. Fourth, they would need to
have organization as well as problem solving skills. The problems might be major as to
helping patients climb stairs or may be minor like buttoning a shirt and others. They
need to ensure that they have strong organizational skills and problem solving skills
where they can organize the needs of the patients as per the priorities and solve each
of the problems with expertise. Fifth skill is the exhibition of empathy and compassion in
ensuring compassionate care (Elf et al. 2017). Often in cases, a patient who has