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Archive for category: OT Works Here

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The A to Z of OT: U is For… Universal Design

Universal design is defined as, “the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to all people, regardless of age, disability or other factors.”  One major factor in achieving universal design is to create buildings and environments that are “barrier-free” and physically accessible for all.  Occupational Therapists work with businesses and individuals to help design spaces, both public and private, that allow access for the greatest majority of people.  Learn more in our post, A Practical Guide to Barrier Free Design.

 

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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The A to Z of OT: T is For… Accessible Travel

While travel is a fun and rewarding leisure activity, it can also be extremely stressful.  Traveling with a disability can be even more difficult, but with thorough planning, it can be a wonderful experience.  Learn more about how an Occupational Therapist can help you say Bon Voyage in our post Travelling with a Disability, by viewing our OT-V video below or by downloading our Accessible Travel Guide.

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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The A to Z of OT: S is For… Stress Management

In 2013, Statistics Canada reported that 6.6 million Canadians (ages 15 and older) reported that most days were ‘quite a bit’ or ‘extremely stressful’.  Stress can negatively affect many aspects of your physical and emotional health and can have long-term repercussions.  Occupational Therapists can help people manage their stress with a variety of strategies.  Learn more about Occupational Therapy and stress reduction in our post, How Stress is Affecting Your Health.

 

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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The A to Z of OT: R is For… Return to Work

The process of returning an injured worker to their previous job or a modified position needs to be handled properly to reduce re-absenteeism and employer risk.  Getting the employee back to their previous job duties and regular hours is the goal, which is tackled carefully to reduce re-injury. Much like getting an injured athlete back in the game, return to work coordination involves an individual approach and is a thorough process to ensure the future success of the employee and company.

Learn how Occupational Therapists work with an injured worker and their place of employment in our post, Returning to Work After Illness or Injury:  OT Can Help!

 

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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The A to Z of OT: Q is For… Quality of Life

One of my favourite quotes about Occupational Therapy is, “Medicine adds days to life… OT adds life to days.”  Occupational Therapists provide solutions for living and therefore, help individuals achieve optimal function and maximum quality of life based on each person’s unique situation.

Take a look at our Occupation Is series, where we explore the journey of “occupation” complete from morning to night, highlighting how OT’s help to improve quality of life when things break down along the continuum that is living.

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The A to Z of OT: P is For… Pain Management

Pain is a common occurrence following an injury, illness, or traumatic event like a motor vehicle accident. While pain does play an important role in alerting us to potential dangers, injury, or an impending problem, it can also become a significant barrier to function as it can often continue long after the dangerous situation resolves.

Whether this pain is primarily physical or emotional, visible or invisible, it is important to remember that the pain experience is real and can be debilitating.  Occupational therapists are qualified to identify the psychological, cognitive and physical needs of the individual and to provide treatment to improve function in daily activities. With appropriate treatment, pain and daily function can improve, helping the individual participate in meaningful activities and to regain or maintain their sense of self.

Learn more about chronic pain and the role of occupational therapy in our previous post, Chronic Pain a Problem?  Try OT.

 

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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The A to Z of OT: O is For… Organization

We all have different levels of energy, tolerance and mental attention.  If suffering from chronic pain, brain injury, or another chronic condition, chances are the DD battery that you used to have has been replaced with some AAA’s.  This means that daily activities will take more time, more energy, and you will need to recharge sooner.  So, considering this, do you really want to spend your valuable energy looking for stuff? 

Often the focus of occupational therapy becomes helping people to organize their activities, their stuff or their time.  Schedules and consistency are keys to helping people to understand the size of their battery and the amount of units each activity takes.  This can be difficult when working with clients who did not need to be organized before an injury or illness, but the necessity of this following cannot be ignored.   Even small steps to help people to be more organized can have a huge impact.

Learn more about the importance of organization and tips to declutter in our previous post, Hoarding and Decluttering:  10 Suggestions to Free your Home and Mind.

 

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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The A to Z of OT: N is for… Neuroplasticity

What is neuroplasticity?  Just as we need to exercise the muscles in our body, we also need to exercise our brain. Our brains are made of billions of neurons, which interact with each other to complete specific tasks. Signals are sent from one neuron to another along neural pathways, and these determine our thoughts, emotions, insights, and so much more. Each task relies on a different neural pathway, so the pathway for reading a book is different than the pathway for putting on our shirt. The more we use a pathway, the stronger the connection becomes.

These neurons have the ability to physically change themselves when faced with new and difficult experiences. This ability is called neuroplasticity.

Learn more about Neuroplasticity, its use in Occupational Therapy, and how we can use this knowledge to help reduce cognitive decline as we age in this previous post, Cognition and Aging, Use it or Lose it.

 

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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The A to Z of OT: M is For… Modifications

The foundation of the profession of Occupational Therapy is creating Person-Environment-Occupation fit.  We call this our PEO model.  What it means is that optimal function arises from the best interaction of the person, their environment, and those “occupations” that are the daily tasks they need to complete.

So, if someone is struggling to complete daily activities, feeling that they need more support to manage at home, or are worried they might get injured falling in or around their house, perhaps they need to consider home modifications. 

There is a misconception that home renovations for safety or disability need to be expensive.  While this can be true for large-scale projects, there are some quick-fix modifications that are small, but pack a punch.  Learn about these modifications and more in our previous post, An OT Knows Home Modifications that Won’t Break the Bank, also available below in video format.

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!

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The A to Z of OT: L is For… Leisure Activities

Occupational Therapists define the word “occupation” as the way people “occupy” their time. So, for us, this term actually includes all roles involved in living including how we have fun! 

Occupational therapists recognize the importance of leisure activities for persons with and without disabilities.  Learn more about how OTs work with clients to help them bring more fun back into life in our previous post, Leisure Anyone? 

October is Occupational Therapy Month and to celebrate we will be sharing a new series called the A to Z of OT.  In our attempts to further educate the public about what Occupational Therapists do we will be highlighting twenty-six of the awesome ways OTs provide Solutions for Living.  

We encourage you to follow along and to add to the discussion by highlighting other awesome things OTs help with for each corresponding letter!