Occupational therapy

An adjunctive therapy that uses purposeful activities as a means of altering the course of illness. The patient’s relationship to staff and to other patients in the occupational therapy setting is often more therapeutic than the activity itself.

A form of psychological treatment that involves habilitating or rehabilitating a person in occupational activities.

Medically directed treatment of physically and, or mentally disabled individuals by means of constructive activities designed and adapted by a professionally qualified occupational therapist to promote the restoration of useful function.

Light work or hobbies used as a means of treatment, especially for physically challenged or mentally ill people, to promote independence during the recovery period after an illness or operation.

Treatment by means of “occupational” activities, that is, tasks which are constructive and often will permit gainful employment. Occupational therapy is used primarily with disabled individuals, but is also used in retraining individuals after illnesses and accidents.

Treatment to help people with a temporary or permanent physical or mental impairment restore, maintain, or improve their ability to perform daily tasks in their living and working environments.

Treatment designed to help people disabled by an illness or injury to relearn physical skills and, when possible, to resume work. Occupational therapists work with people to restore, maintain, or increase their ability to perform daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, cooking, and eating. This may include the use of adaptive equipment such as special kitchen utensils, visual aids, and reaching tools. Occupational therapy, also called OT, often begins in the hospital and is continued on an outpatient basis or as home health care.

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Any physical or mental occupation, such as knitting, basket-weaving, or pottery, that is given to a patient as an aid to recovery from an illness.

Treatment by means of purposeful activities to assist a person who is disabled, for example due to illness, accident, aging, or emotional problems. The purpose is to help the person develop or improve the skills necessary for the activities of daily living – dressing, eating, and so forth. A registered occuptational therapist plans and supervises the treatment.

The treatment of physical and psychiatric conditions through activities designed to help people  reach their maximum level of function and independence. Occupational therapists do much more than keep patients occupied with diverting hobbies. While arts and crafts still have a place in modern therapy techniques, these also include household chores, industrial work, communication techniques, social activities, sports and educational programmes. An Occupational Therapy Department may have facilities for woodwork, metalwork, printing, gardening, cooking, art and drama. Occupational therapists will use any combination of activities to strengthen muscles, increase movement and restore coordination and balance. The aim is to help the patient practice all the activities involved in daily life and help provide order, comfort and support in building up self-confidence.

The use of activity to develop, regain, or maintain the skills and capacities necessary for health, productivity, and participation in everyday life. It may include the use of assistive technologies or orthotics to enhance function or prevent disability.

Occupational therapy involves crafting personalized activity programs to assist individuals disabled by illness or accidents in enhancing their functionality and capacity for performing daily activities. This therapy also encompasses suggesting aids and modifications to the home environment, aiming to enhance an individual’s self-reliance.