Ten Ways Occupational Therapy Helps Rehab

Occupational Therapy is an integral part of any good rehabilitation program. Even if you don’t always see the correlation for, let’s say, and eye issue or a breathing issue, Occupational therapy is right there in the game.

What is Occupational Therapy, anyway?

Occupational therapy is often confused with physical therapy – those that are not in an associated health field often don’t know the difference.  But while physical therapy works with helping the patient with better use of her body, occupational therapy helps the patient with daily occupations – eating, dressing, and other functions of daily living. They two disciplines often go hand in hand in helping a patient recover from surgery or illness.

Here are some reasons why it’s a must, no matter what the rehab is for:

  1. Anyone who’s in for rehab has had some limitation on her mobility and abilities. Sometimes you can get back into the swing of things with relative ease, but from a health perspective, you needs to make sure that it’s done on the right timeline – too soon and she risks going right back to square one; too long and it’s a waste of everybody’s time.
  2. Occupational Therapy will help you recover faster. As you begin to use your limbs and mind in the right way together, training your brain to re-learn ADLs (Activities for Daily Living), your recovery process will move smoothly and quickly.
  3. You have access to an expert and experienced therapist who knows more about rehabilitation that you do. She’ll offer guidance and answer any questions you might have throughout the process.
  4. Each patient has her individual needs when it comes to rehab and recovery. One person may want to get back quickly into the workforce, while another might want to be able to use her kitchen, and another might want to get into the gym. The OT will create a customized plan so you can reach her personal goals quickly, safely, and efficiently.
  5. The OT can assess where there are problems that you didn’t realize were there. For example, someone recovering from eye surgery may not think he has any working issues with the rest of the body, but he may encounter new challenges when trying to accomplish ADLs while his eye is recovering. The OT will offer solutions for continuing life functions through the time period.
  6. The OT is a skilled professional and has a lot of tricks up her sleeve that the rest of us don’t. She can evaluate where you might have difficulty and match from her array of techniques to make your life more workable.
  7. For patients who really do have obvious and serious challenges, occupational therapy can come in many forms to push you forward. OTs are trained in a number of modalities, and they can tailor plans to fit your personal goals.
  8. The OT is constantly reviewing each case to notice if there are any setbacks and re-plan accordingly.
  9. The OT can recommend any machinery or hardware that might help the patient when she leaves rehab and goes back home. There are many specialized instruments and equipment that only an OT knows how to use. She can also recommend a continued treatment plan for the patient to maintain progress outside of the rehab setting.

At Hudson View Rehabilitation Center, we offer excellent occupational therapy services to energize our patients’ rehab and help them get back to the lives they love.

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