Occupational therapy week: Small change, big impact
November 5, 2020
Do you know what an occupational therapist (OT) does?
OTs are the people who work with individuals to promote their independence and satisfaction in meaningful activities of daily living such as driving, work, self-care, and leisure.
They work with individuals to regain skills, develop new ones, or learn different ways to do things. OTs can adapt the environment, provide specialist equipment, analyse functional tasks and grade them to meet the individuals ability, educate, carry out anxiety management and relaxation programmes, make thermoplastic splints, support people to return to work, undertake cognitive assessments and rehabilitation, make recommendations for long term care support and much, much more.
OTs are useful people to know and can be found across the Trust in many different areas and departments including
- A&E
- Stroke and neurology
- Palliative care
- Trauma and orthopaedics
- Medicine
- Intermediate care
- Community teams
- Mental health services
- Forensic teams
- Learning difficulties
- Hand therapy
- Schools
- Universities
- Social services
- Medico-legal teams
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Job centres
- Paediatrics
In fact anywhere, where there is an individual who can no longer engage in daily tasks as the result of illness or disability.
Tomorrow on connect we will be covering how occupational therapy have had to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you would like to know more about OT within your clinical area contact aimeeturner@nhs.net.