THE ROLE OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IN SUPPORTING INDEPENDENCE ACROSS ALL AGES
Occupational Therapy (OT) is a versatile service that can benefit individuals of all ages, supporting them through various developmental stages of life. We spoke with Jayden, The Gray Area's Occupational Therapist, to explore how occupational therapy fosters independence at every stage of life.
LET’S RECAP - WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational Therapy focuses on helping individuals engage in self-care, productivity or leisure and can be beneficial for all ages. OT’s can help evaluate and provide a compressive assessment to determine support needs to live as independently as possible.
LET’S TALK INTERVENTIONS & THERAPIES
Occupational Therapist’s use a variety of different evidence-based approaches to ensure the best outcomes for individuals. This can be achieved through compensatory or remedial strategies.
Remedial Strategies
Focus on improving skills or abilities to address the underlying difficulties.
Compensatory Strategies
Help individuals work around challenges by making changes to tasks or using tools (assistive technology) to enable them to increase their performance and independence.
LOOKING AFTER OURSELVES THROUGH SELF-CARE
Self-care refers to the daily activities that are important for maintaining health and well-being. OT’s can help individuals develop, regain or improve their skills and independence within this area.
Areas that an OT could provide assistance include:
Dressing
Personal hygiene
Meal preparation
Toileting
Sleep
SELF CARE - CASE STUDY
Huberta, a 29 year old man living with a mild-moderate intellectual impairment was referred for Occupational Therapy support to assist with increasing his independence with self-care tasks. The Occupational Therapist (OT), used both compensatory and remedial strategies to increase his motivation and independence within this goal.
Compensatory Strategies
The OT assisted Huberta to determine an optimal routine to ensure that he was completing self-care tasks to a hygienic and consistent standard. This was achieved through visual prompts, task modification and reminders to complete tasks.
Remedial Strategies
The OT used task analysis to determine Huberta’s strengths and weaknesses to enable a graded approach improving his independence with self-care. This was achieved by teaching Huberta how to complete the sequence of steps and improving his fine motor skills required.
INCREASING INDEPENDENCE THROUGH PRODUCTIVITY
Productivity refers to an individuals ability to engage in meaningful tasks, such as work or household responsibilities.
Occupational Therapists can assist and help improve individuals functional abilities to lead a more fulfilling life and increase their independence. OT’s can assist in (but not limited to) the following areas:
Education & learning (i.e., skill development, memory)
Household responsibilities (i.e., budgeting, organising)
Managing daily routines (i.e., time management, prioritising tasks)
PRODUCTIVITY - CASE STUDY
Mariane, a 42 year old women experiencing acute stress and depression was referred for Occupational Therapy support to assist with increasing her independence and engagement within household tasks. The Occupational Therapist (OT), used both compensatory and remedial strategies to increase her motivation and independence within this goal.
Compensatory Strategies
The OT assisted Mariane to determine an optimal routine to ensure that he was completing self-care tasks to a hygienic and consistent standard. This was achieved through visual prompts, task modification and reminders to complete tasks.
Remedial Strategies
The OT assisted Mariane to identify and implement adaptive coping strategies to manage her ruminating thoughts. Further implementation was used to enable Mariane to increase her independence with time management and organisation to reduce her overall stress and improve productivity.
ENGAGE IN THE ACTIVITIES YOU LOVE THROUGH LEISURE!
Occupational Therapists help individuals engage in meaningful leisure activities by assessing their abilities, adapting environments, and teaching skills to promote participation, enhance well-being, and improve quality of life.
LEISURE - CASE STUDY
Gemini, an 18-year old female living with fibromyalgia (chronic pain) was referred for Occupational Therapy support to assist with managing pain and engaging in previously enjoyed leisure activities.
Compensatory Strategies
The OT assisted Gemini to find ways to engage within her previously enjoyed activity through energy conservation techniques and environmental modifications.
Remedial Strategies
The OT provided education and guidance on how to incorporate pain management techniques and strengthening exercises to reframe negative thought pattern and engage in suitable exercises.
As we welcome to join the team, we also welcome individuals of all ages to engage in our OT services.
If you’re wanting to know more about our Occupational Therapy service, contact us today and let us help you on your journey.
The Role of Occupational Therapy in Supporting Independence Across All Ages