Occupational Therapy: An Insight

Introduction:

Occupational therapy and physical therapy are essential for rehabilitation. Drugs and medicines help fight infection and diseases. In contrast, occupational therapy helps people to participate in everyday activities such as eating, bathing, and brushing. Occupational therapy is a client-centered profession that promotes the health and well-being of patients and helps them become independent in their activities of life.

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is an allied healthcare profession that helps people of all ages. The goal of occupational therapy is to promote the health and well-being of people, recovery, and maintenance of daily activities, and professional skills of patients with physical, mental, and cognitive disorders. It also reduces environmental barriers. Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants provide occupational therapy.

What Are the Types of Occupational Therapy?

There are different types of occupational therapy adapted and modified to benefit patients as per their requirements. Some examples of various kinds of occupational therapy provided are as follows:

• General Occupation Therapy: Helps individuals with functional impairments due to pain, injury, or illness. It aids children in completing their tasks at school and adults in managing their responsibilities at work and teaches self-care skills to make them independent.

• Pediatric Occupational Therapy: Focuses on helping children with developmental disorders, poor vision and hearing, learning disabilities, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder).

• Geriatric Occupational Therapy: Helps older generation manage their limitations, such as loss of control and fear of remaining independent.

• Occupational Therapy for Mental Health: It is used for patients with panic attacks, depression, schizophrenia (a severe mental disorder), and bipolar disorders.

• Environmental Modifications: Occupational therapists visit home, workplace, or school to make modifications to help make the patient's life easier. For example, they install ramps, lifts for the staircase, and wide doors and adjust the heights of cabinets.

Who Needs Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy plays a vital role in regaining and relearning skills required for daily activities for adults and children with the following injuries or defects:

• Congenital disabilities or birth injuries.

• Developmental delays.

• Sensory processing disorders.

• Arthritis (inflammation of the joints) and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

• Autism (a developmental disease of the brain).

• Learning problems.

• Injuries to the brain or spinal cord.

• Patients underwent orthopedic or spine surgeries.

• Sprains and strains.

• Amputation of hands or legs.

• Mental disorders or behavioral problems.

• Burns.

• Cancer.

• Nerve compression disorders.

• Fasciitis, tendonitis, and bursitis.

• Spina bifida (a congenital disability affecting the spinal cord).

• Cerebral palsy (a condition affecting muscle movements and coordination) and other chronic illnesses.

What Are the Services Provided by the Occupational Therapy Care Plan?

The services provided by occupational therapists are customized to the patient’s needs and problems. The services include the following:

• Therapeutic exercise and activities.

• Activities of daily living such as bathing, brushing, toileting, and eating.

• Coordination of hand and eye.

• Use therapeutic, adaptive, or assistive devices like walking sticks, canes, or wheelchairs.

• Fall prevention for older adults.

• Pain and scar management.

• Help patients return to work.

• Mirror therapy.

• Sensory re-education.

• Modifications in home, workplace, or school.

• Motor skills.

• Create, fit, and train the patients to use prostheses and orthoses.

• Post-surgical education.

What Are the Roles of Occupational Therapists?

Occupational therapists’ duties and responsibilities include:

• Evaluating the patient's needs and conditions.

• Reviewing the patient’s medical history.

• Observing the patients while doing tasks.

• Developing treatment plans according to the patient’s needs.

• Helping people to perform different tasks. For example, they teach a stroke patient to get dressed.

• Demonstrating exercises for the patients.

• Evaluating the patient’s home and workplace and making alterations according to the patient’s health condition.

• Educating the patient’s family and caretakers about taking care of the patient.

• Assessing and recording the progression of the patients for evaluation and reporting to the clinicians.

• Some occupational therapists work with children in educational settings.

• Therapists working with older people help them become independent.

• Work in mental health settings.

What Is the Role of Occupational Therapy in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)?

An occupational therapist in a hospital works with the healthcare team to rehabilitate patients in the critical care unit. Occupational therapy should be initiated as soon as possible in the ICU because the patients in the ICU are on prolonged bed rest and mechanical ventilation and suffer stress.

• Role of Occupational Therapy in Managing Delirium in ICU - It includes informing patients about the time, place, and reason for hospitalization to reorient them. In addition, sleep protocol is followed to improve the patient’s night sleep and encourage the participation of the patient’s family in playing games to enhance the patient's cognitive functioning.

• Role of Occupational Therapy for Cardiac Issues - Occupational therapy is essential in cardiac rehabilitation programs. Occupational therapists provide exercise training, education about a healthy diet for the heart, counseling for stress, encouragement to lead an active life, and planning the patient’s return to work.

• Role of Occupational Therapy for Pulmonary Issues - Patients with pulmonary or lung issues have breathing difficulties. Occupational therapists help patients to learn strategies to reduce oxygen consumption during daily activities. They also teach patients the method of breathing during activities.

• Role of Occupational Therapy After Stroke - In stroke rehabilitation, the occupational therapist focuses on helping the patients live independently and regain normal activity levels. Occupational therapy provides self-care skills, home safety, strength and endurance, cognition, community reintegration, healthy lifestyle, and motivation and confidence for stroke patients.

• Role of Occupational Therapy in Mental Health Services - It is difficult to perform daily activities for patients with mental disorders. Occupational therapy helps these patients to improve their emotional and cognitive skills, such as focus and attention. In addition, it is essential to educate their family and others around the patients.

• Role of Occupational Therapy for Patients With Burns - Occupational therapy includes splinting, scar and pain management, increasing joint movements, necessary home modifications, and community activities for patients with burns.

Conclusion:

The recovery stage of the patients is challenging physically, emotionally, and mentally. The research found a strong relationship between the patient’s self-image and their ability to perform tasks, which get affected when they suffer from illness or injuries. Occupational therapy helps patients' complete tasks and improve their quality of life, significantly enhancing their self-image. Therefore, it is essential to include occupational therapy in rehabilitation programs.