Essay On Occupational Therapy

Advancements in Occupational Therapy

When assessing what kind of treatment a patient needs a couple common options are occupational therapy and physical therapy. Occupational therapists work with patients on daily activities specifically designed to improve their ability to function independently. Also, occupational therapists use many variations of techniques when helping patients achieve their goals. For example, a therapist working with a pediatrics patient might use games or toys to improve fine motor skills. Additionally, when a therapist is working with a stroke patient they might use equipment for assistance like a shower chair or make home modifications for when they go home. The recent advancements in technology have given occupational

Occupational therapy provides the skills to help people lead independent, productive, and satisfying lives. Additionally, occupational therapists define occupation to be anything someone does to occupy themselves. Some examples would be, looking after themselves, enjoying life, work, and social productivity or involvement. The emergence of occupational therapy originated in mental health during the early 20th century. According to the AOTA, the deinstitutionalization of individuals with mental illness, which culminated in the 1963 Community Mental Health Act, allowed occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants to begin working in community mental health (Scheinholtz, 2010). Some examples of community mental health settings are mental health centers, senior centers, homes, and after-school programs. Occupational therapy is commonly confused with physical therapy but there are some major differences to look at when comparing the two. According to Wilma West, “The health professions with which occupational therapy is frequently confused with is of physical therapy. A key difference between the two is their media for treatment. While the creative and manual arts and the skills of self-care are used in occupational therapy, in physical therapy and physical agents such as heat, light, water, electricity, and ultra sound, among others, are used to aid in the restoration of physical function”

Speaking about this, one of the most important names associated with occupational therapy is a woman named Susan Tracy which happened to be an RN. According to Wilma West (1983) Miss Tracy came from a family of teachers, which was another profession from which occupational therapy borrowed staff and techniques. Also, as coworkers in a healthcare facility the nurses and occupational therapists experience many of the same problems so there are many moments for the nurses and OTs to work together to find a solution. In fact, with greater outreach of services within the community, there are more occasions that require mutual understanding. West (1983) stated, occupational therapy has developed roles in evaluation, screening, consultation, and programming which extend its contribution to preventive medicine and community health planning as well as active treatment. Due to hospital settings becoming more complex, practioners must develop new skills and techniques. A new technique being introduced is theatrical improvisation. Improvisation is useful because we must constantly adjust to what is going on around us. Krusen (2012) stated, “Teaching improvisational techniques to health care practitioners targets skills