Occupational Therapist

An occupational therapist helps individuals learn to perform tasks that improve their daily lives, whether it is at work or home. They assist people with disabling conditions such as emotional, mental, developmental or physical problems and help them maintain or acquire work and daily living skills. Their goal is to help people improve their reasoning abilities or basic motor functions so they can lead more productive, independent lives.

An occupational therapist helps some clients learn or relearn daily activities such as feeding themselves, grooming, cooking, dressing and bathing or behavior modification training. They teach clients with disabling physical conditions how to use physical exercise and therapy to increase their dexterity, mobility and strength or discern patterns to improve their visual acuity. For people with permanent disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries or muscular dystrophy, an occupational therapist instructs them on using adaptive equipment or computer-aided equipment such as wheelchairs. For clients with severe limitations, they instruct people on different ways to use equipment to communicate better or get around easier and safely. For individuals whose functioning abilities at work are impaired, they work with the client and the employer to modify or evaluate their clients work and work environment.

An occupational therapist often chooses to work exclusively with certain disabilities or age groups. Some work in schools with disabled children while others choose mental health settings. Here they assist clients who are emotionally disturbed or mentally disabled. They help the elderly use adaptive equipment and learn skills so they lead more active, independent and productive lives. Occupational therapists need strong people skills and patience.

Common work activities include:

• Assessing and interacting with doctors and patients to determine future goals and reasonable expectations for increasing physical abilities.
• Developing therapy programs that are specific for the individual. This may include teaching clients how to use a prosthesis or a specific type of adaptive equipment.
• Overseeing the occupational therapy sessions and giving feedback to the client on progress and improvements.
• Motivating and supporting clients as they learn new skills and daily exercises and increase their abilities.
• Helping family members understands the goals of the occupational therapy program.
• Keeping accurate records and charts on patient progress and problems or concerns.
• Reporting to physicians or members of the treatment team regarding the therapy progress or problems.

Programs related to Occupational Therapist careers

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