Occupational therapy is for those people who lost the ability to perform everyday activities and tasks. The inability may be because of emotional, mental or physical restriction. It may be naturally by birth or developed during the course of life because of certain traumas or incidents. To those people who are suffering, occupational therapy provides assistance, techniques, methods and mechanisms to help them complete daily functions and routines such as bathing, eating, dressing up.
Occupational therapist focuses on the issue or the problem the patients are facing. These vary from patient to patient depending on the origin of the issue, age group of the patient and kind of problem the patient is facing. For example a teen may suffer from socializing. Some of the issues that are majorly faced and worked upon are:-
- Intellectual skills
- Mental ability
- Balance
- Synergy and teamwork
- Interpersonal relationship
- Socializing ability
Occupational therapies are performed at
- Hospitals
- Home care
- Private clinics
- Rehabilitation centre
- Day care
- Community health centre
Types of occupational therapies
Occupational therapy is of different types and in different fields. Some of them are enlisted below:
Occupational Therapy in Orthopaedics
The occupational therapy in Orthopaedics helps patients with physical injuries. The therapist deals with the patients in helping them retain their strength and energy to get normal as they were before the need of the therapy. The injuries includes knee transplant, hip transplant, tissue injuries, muscle injuries, limb injuries, etc.
Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics
This occupational therapy have several branches such as Occupation Therapy for the Elderly and productive aging. As the name suggests, the professionals help old age or elderly people to regain their abilities and help them live individually without reliance over someone else. The elderly people are assisted in socialising, managing, eating, getting ready themselves. The professionals work on their motor skills.
Occupational Therapy in Neurology
Neurology occupational therapy involves aquatic therapies, visual perception techniques, energy conservation and many more. People who needs this therapy are patients of stroke, Parkinson’s disease, who needs essential treatment with proper care. Therapist focuses on correct postures be it sleeping, standing, sitting to reduce the neurological impact on the patient and ease the daily life and routine of the patient.
Occupational Therapy in Psychiatry
Occupational Therapy in psychiatry is similar to the occupational therapy in neurology. It analysis the behavioural patterns of the patient and provides assistance to them in keeping a balanced and normalised behaviour.
Occupational Therapy in Critical Care
It is a critical therapy as the name suggests involving intensive care of the patients who may lose their any body functions. The patients include people with head trauma, emphysema and stroke. The professionals provides complete guidelines regarding eating schedule with diet chart, post hospitalised situations etc.
Occupational Therapy in Paediatrics
Paediatrics therapists deals with children and help them socialise, make friends with others, enhance their cognitive skills , improve their adaptive skills, psychological and neurological states and conditions of them such as autism.
Hand Occupational Therapy
These therapists deals with patients of arthritics , tennis elbows, carpel syndrome , etc. These helps patients to recover soon and use assisting tools and devices to treat them. Some hand therapies includes improvement in postures, handwriting techniques , endurance power , motor control , physical health etc.
Occupational therapy for Elderly People
To ease everyday struggles of life
It is difficult for many elderly people to perform basic functions at an old age such as walking ,eating ,getting ready, bathing, socializing, attending family parties , functions ,etc. With time they loose capability and willingness to perform these functions as well . The therapists help old people to be self dependent and fulfil their basic need to perform functions of everyday life.
Memorizing things
Aged people tend to forget people and things around them. The therapist assist old people to memorise concerned people and things in their environment by engaging them in various memory strengthening games and activities such as crosswords , puzzles , etc.
A better picture of future
Many elderly people afraid of their future and how will they spend the rest of their lives leaving behind the habitual and familiar routines and comforts. Sometimes they become hopeless. Occupational therapist not only help them in physical and mental illness but also helps them in regaining the confidence and moral of living life further and in a way they aspire giving old ones a spark to enjoy life to till the end.
Occupational therapy for Children
Fine motor skills development
Fine motor skills is the coordinated functioning of small muscles in hands and fingers used in fast completing the daily routine activities such as handwriting, buttoning up the clothes quickly.
Functioning skills
Listening, speaking, sequencing, attentiveness, and memory are functioning skills required for good grades and presentation of a child. Occupational therapy helps children to score well and complete routine tasks smoothly.
Socialising
Therapies help children learn to play with others, share, express themselves, make friends, understand society . Children practice activities and tasks under therapists’ assistance which improves their fear of sharing themselves and socializing.
Some occupational therapist jobs field :-
- Occupational therapy aide
- Speech therapist
- Physiotherapy assistant
- Neuro Rehabilitation therapist
- Counselling psychologist
- Respiratory therapist
- Fitness instructor
- Mental health therapist
- Disability assessor
The job of occupational therapy asks for soft spoken skills, patience, persistence, communication enhancement and knowledge along with lots of self work. Hence, it is an occupation which helps people to live their life more comfortably and conveniently. Visit our Delhi centre for best Occupational Therapy Centre in Delhi.
