The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICFDH) classifies participation as “the person’s involvement in a life situation” (Desrosiers, 2005, p. 196). When an individual experiences a disability or injury and must receive rehabilitation, one goal of occupational therapists is increased activity participation. These activities can be related to self-care, life skills, work, school, leisure, and socialization, among others. Through various intervention strategies, occupational therapists can help an individual participate in activities that are meaningful to them, and ultimately make connections, attain or regain skills, and achieve purpose in life (Forhan, Law, Vrkljan, & Taylor, 2010). Occupational therapists …show more content…
This can be seen in people who are overweight and the elderly who can no longer drive. People who are obese face the risk of health problems and stigmatization from society. Forhan et al. (2010) interviewed 10 adults with class III obesity (a BMI of 40 kg/m²), who recognized the value of participation, including feelings of independence, respect, and energy to preserve social relationships. However, they identified barriers to participate as the built environment and attitudes towards people of their weight. By being enrolled in a weight loss program to better themselves, these barriers would decrease and hopefully disappear one day. As an occupational therapist, it is important to promote well-being and participation through perseverance and access to environmental supports, both physical and emotional, to allow these people to "live while losing" (Forhan et al., 2010, p.216). Well-being and sense of self can be achieved through the occupations participated in and the identity that forms from them. Changes an individual's ability to participate can affect their occupational identity. This was studied by Vrklkan and Polgar (2007) in which they interviewed an elderly couple, in which the husband had ceased driving. This role used to belong to the husband, but due to a decline in sight, had to be given up for the safety of himself and other drivers. The husband expressed a limitation in his occupations …show more content…
In practice, occupational therapists must take an active role to promoting engagement. This begins with how an occupational therapist views a situation. While the ICFDH takes into account the environment and the global and local influence of the environment on health, it leaves out the subjective experience of the individual (Hemmingsson & Jonsson, 2005). Vik et al. (2008) and Van de Velde et al. (2010) demonstrated the way a person participates can vary in what forces dictate the structure of their day, themselves or life itself, and in what types of participation they are involved in, from occupational participation to social participation to socio-occupational participation. Participation has previously been understood as a observable experience, but recent research has shed a light on the internal negotiation of values that occurs. Occupational therapy needs to continue to push for a client-centered practice in which interventions are tailored around the client's level of participation in daily life. These levels of participation may be altered in times of transition, and occupational therapists have a duty to help individuals through transitions, whether they be from the hospital to home, from the role of a driver to a non-driver, or through a weight change (Van de Velde et al., 2010; Forhan et al., 2010; Vrkljan & Polgar, 2007). In
The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework defines an occupational profile as “the initial step in the evaluation process that provides an understanding of the client’s occupational history and experience, patterns of daily living, interests, values, and needs (2014).” During this process the client’s problems and concerns about daily occupations are identified then the client’s main concerns are determined (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014). Occupational Therapists strive to be holistic and client-centered, and the occupational profile is one method to ensure treatment takes on these characteristics. During the occupational profile the clients share their priorities based on what is important to them, and the therapist
Occupational therapy is also known as the dynamic and developing healthcare profession that deals with people in ways of regaining their skills required for the every days of life. For a very long time I have always had the desire to achieve my dreams in becoming an occupational therapist. I am very well equipped with creativity, flexibility and the ability to aid people in solving their every day’s life challenges they get involved in. Occupational therapy is quite involving and needs good strategies and skills for one to be successful in the program.
Though occupation usually refers to a job, a person’s occupation is initially determined by what their everyday life consists of. When a person becomes incapable of performing the tasks that they are expected to do in their everyday life due to developmental delays, physical injury, or psychological problems they are often referred to an occupational therapist. Occupational therapists, or OTs, usually have occupational therapy assistants, often called OTAs. The OT gives the OTA a set of objectives to help the patient achieve. Since people go through numerous occupations during the course of their lives, OT’s and OTA’s prov...
Rehabilitation: Provide adaptations and modifications for physical and cognitive dysfunction. Developmental: Theoretical Assumptions Human development occurs in an orderly fashion throughout the cycle. Steps within the developmental process are sequential and none can be skipped. Client-Centered Frame of Reference: This Frame of Reference is developed from the work of Carl Rogers. It views the client as the center of all therapeutic activity, and the client's needs and goals direct the delivery of the Occupational Therapy
Occupation is defined as “activites of everyday life, names, organized and given meaning by individuals and a culture” (Association, 2006). This article also discusses the historical aspects of occupational therapy. Occupational therapy was founded by many different professionals with different backgrounds, that came together to share the same idea about how occupational therapy should be and the importance of activites for a person. This article also talks about different types of services that occupational therapy offers. Occupational therapists and assistances can work in many different settings. With the variety of settings a therapist and assistance can work in, the services that are offered there are different. Some different services that can be offered at these settings can include community mobility skills, stress management, alternative routines and habits, and more. It is important for therapists and assistances to know what settings offer what type of services when they are referencing their client to a new setting. The last topic this article discussed
My immediate goals after obtaining an Occupational Therapy degree include gaining clinical expertise through a practice of my choice and motivating as many people as I can to achieve their goals. I plan to participate in evidence-based research in order to improve patient outcomes while spreading this knowledge through community education and prevention programs. After establishing myself in the field and gaining the necessary resources, I intend to collaborate with a team of like-minded
Interest in the social aspects of obesity is nothing new. Jeffrey Sobal has written extensively about the social and psychological consequences of obesity , including the stigmatisation and discrimination of obese and even overweight individuals (Sobal 2004).
People across the world participate in recovery programs every day. Dedicated people in professions, such as occupational therapy, work to help each person regain his or her ability to engage in everyday activities. One wishing to pursue a career in occupational therapy would first need to evaluate the career and the significant effects on themselves and the clients.
A., de Rijk, A., Van Hoof, E., & Donceel, P. 2011). The therapist has to assess the patient to see if they have a need for splints or supports which may benefit the patient and then step in to help design the specific assistive devices needed. It is the job of the occupational therapist to come up with plans to overcome the inconvenient limitations while still helping the patient to reduce strain and prevent further damage by teaching them techniques that will conserve their energy. There are a variety of different ways to make daily living much easier. The most crucial part of therapy is assessing the patient's environment. All the people, cultural conditions and physical objects that are around them, create their environment. The behavior and development of people is a direct result of the interaction between them and their surroundings. A patient's behavior is greatly affected when they are mismatched with their environment. A person's environment match is present when the person's level of competence matches the demands of the environment. Full participation by the patient is required to make it practicable. “The science and practice of occupational therapy are well suited to develop, refine, and test approaches to translate therapeutic gains into
Occupational therapy was based off of psychology; we evolved from treating mentally ill patients with isolation as an efficient treatment plan. We must never forget we are known to be “the art and science of helping people do the day-to-day activities that are important and meaningful to their health and well being through engagement in valued occupations” (Crepeau, Cohn, & Schell, 2008). To other professional disciplines this article explains the difference between each of us, yet can also express our relation to one another. The basic goal of all therapeutic disciplines is to better our clients life, through physical, speech or occupational therapy. Every discipline targets different goals, may it be body mechanics, reducing a stutter or buttoning a shirt, at the end of the day our clients well being may it be through science, art or both is all that matters. To the occupational therapy field this article means progress for what we do. Reading this article today in the year 2015 did not seem like old information to me, it is still relevant, I am proud that our field is not only evolving with contemporary time but it is also maintaining its
An understanding of occupation and its science dimension enables the therapist to gain knowledge about how patients orchestrate their lives through the doing of occupations in any given context. The occupational therapy proce...
The experience I had interviewing for the first time was extremely daunting but at the same time, eye-opening as it made me realise how essential a skill like this is to have and practice as an occupational therapist. It is a skill that requires time to develop and to craft, but is vital in building a therapeutic alliance between the client and the therapist. I carried out two different interviews, The Occupational Circumstances Assessment Interview Rating Scale (OCAIRS) and Canadian Occupational Performance Model (COPM), as the interviewer and also acted as the interviewee so I could gain insight into what such an experience would be like from the client’s perspective. The aim of both interviews was to assess the client and assessment proves to be a critical part of the OT process.
I look forward to helping them become more independent by aiming for their personal goals and reaching for their full potential. I am enthusiastic in finding a career were I am able to be creative and discover the self-confidence in my patients that will help them succeed. Throughout the coming years, I hope to attain the skills and abilities to succeed in this field. As I further my knowledge in this field I hope to demonstrate ethical decision making and learn to appreciate my role in supporting my patients as they learn to navigate a new world. I hope to educate the community in gaining a better understanding of what occupational therapy is and the overall impact it can make on an individual’s life and
witnessed first-hand the impact occupational therapy can make in people’s lives, watching the delight of a
...s, losing their jobs, traumatic experiences, addictions to drugs and alcohol which have resulted in a loss of who they were and they skills that they possessed. Occupational therapist’s role is to seek and help these individual’s find their way back home.