Thesis: Occupational therapy serves as an important role in health care by helping disabled patients develop, recover, and improve skills needed for daily living and work through the use of vocational and recreational activities. I. Occupational therapy has a deep history rooting back from the development of psychiatry. A. Many centuries ago, people thought mentally disabled individuals were possessed by evil spirits. 1. Zona Weeks describes the treatment: “They were beaten, chained, and imprisoned” (Weeks 13). 2. In the 1800s in Spain, France, England, and Germany they removed the mentally disabled people from isolation and put them to work on specific tasks. a. They realized they needed people to help them do these tasks. b. Classes were held to teach them how to do the activities. B. In 1917, a small group of people created the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). (Weeks 13) 1. Edward Barton, a founding member, coined the term occupational therapy. 2. Dr. H.A Pattison made the first definition of occupational therapy. C. During WWI in 1917, a commander of the US Army requested occupational therapists abroad to help injured soldiers fight again. D. In 1922, standards of training for Occupational Therapists were established. 1. Occupational therapists had to complete a 3 month course in Boston, Philadelphia, and St. Louis. 2. In the 1940s, all programs became a baccalaureate degree program. 3. In 1946, the American Occupational Therapy Association started to evaluate people and issue certificates. (Weeks 16) E. During WWII, occupational therapists helped treat soldiers. 1. About nine hundred occupational therapists divided among hospitals and armed forces. 2. They acquired many new skills and starting specializing. a. They began working with various injuries. b. They became involved in making orthotic devices such as splints. (Weeks 17) F. Following WWII, expansion continued in the field. 1. Occupational therapists began working in the public school system. 2. In 1952, the World Federation of Occupational Therapy was formed. 3. In 1940s, men started entering the field. 4. In 1964, the American Occupational Therapy Foundation was organized for charitable purposes. a. It supported scientific, literary, and educational research. b. In addition, it gave scholarships, conducted surveys and research, and published reports. (Weeks 18) G. The occupational therapy field has grown immenslty in the last forty years. 1. In the 1960s, mental health centers were established and Medicaid was created for low income individuals. 2. In the 1970s, public law mandated education for all handicapped causing public schools to hire a large amount of occupational therapists. 3. Also in the 1970s, a large amount of medical knowledge became available. a. This allowed for improved treatment methods. b. OTs benefited from manufactured rehabilitation equipment such as eating aids, wheelchairs, and splints. (Weeks 19) H. Overall, the occupational therapy industry has progressed a lot since its beginnings.
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...
Sacket et al, cited in, Duncan, E,A,S, (2006) Foundtions for practice in Occupational Therapy, 4th edition, Elsevier Ltd.
The bachelor of health science disability and community rehabilitation major offered at Flinders University endeavours to prepare students for a range of professions within the health care community development sector. This could be services such as welfare and community advocacy, human resource and administration management, policy advice, through to professions such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and midwifery (Flinders University, 2016). The preparation could be through the completion of the degree, the use of the degree as a recognised Flinders pathway or as a passage to further postgraduate studies (Flinders University, 2016). Personally I wish to transition into either a combined or a postgraduate master’s degree in occupational
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
The ethical problem encountered in this situation is that the home health agency is asking Carlos, OTR, to evaluate Mrs. Franklin a week later and change the date on the documentation. The core values that might be violated in this scenario will be justice, truth, prudence and altruism. Justice will be violated because the law will be broken if Carlos decides to falsify documentation like the agency is asking him to do. This will violate the second standard of practice of Occupational Therapy, where it is stated that the therapist must abide by the time frames and formats established by practice settings, federal and state law, and other regulatory and payer requirements by AOTA documents. It is also a criminal violation of chapter 2, 10,
The health care industry is always growing and needing more workers. Occupational therapy has an extremely bright job outlook. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of occupational therapy assistants is projected to grow 29 percent from 2016 to 2026, which is much faster than other occupations. (Occupational, 2017) A reason for such a high outlook is because of the baby-boom generation becoming older which means more health implications. Becoming older can affect their ability to perform everyday
Occupational therapy made its first appearance in a modern-day setting during the 18th century; however, occupational therapy dates back to 100 BC. The United States medical system adopted occupational therapy in the 19th century. In 1910, occupational therapy became a realized profession. Then, the main focus was working with individuals to get them to a fully functional state. Around 1930, standards of practice were developed for occupational therapists (OT’s). The career continues to evolve and change as new illnesses and disabilities arise. Even with all the changes, the main focus remains intact: helping people.
witnessed first-hand the impact occupational therapy can make in people’s lives, watching the delight of a
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
...e-based knowledge to inform the therapy practice. It also assists with furthering the therapist’s knowledge of humans as occupational beings as well as the relationship between occupation and health.(Yexer ,1993) introduced occupational science as a fundamental science supporting occupational therapy, with an aim to refocus the provision of therapy back to occupation. Hence, occupational science provides the therapists with support, justifies the meaning and uniqueness of the profession and distinguishes occupational therapy from other professions. In addition (Wilcock, 2001), also emphasises that occupational science might be another way to avoid the possible failure of the occupational therapy as a practice. With a strong research background, occupational therapists could make a contribution to medical science, which may challenge it from a different standpoint.
OT was founded in 1917(Barker Schwartz, 2003). Since then, the paradigm has shifted twice, resulting in three different paradigms. Kielhofner (2009) describes the first paradigm as paradigm of occupation that prevailed within occupational therapy from its founding until the 1940s. This paradigm views occupation as an essential part of life and health and focuses on the environment and mind rather than body and impairment. Occupation was seen as a therapeutic tool and a way of achieving dignity for the individual. These values arose due to the influences of social and health care movements of pragmatism, Arts and Crafts movement, and moral...
While growing up I had many ideas of what professional career I wanted to obtain, although until recent years, occupational therapy was not even a thought. It was not until my grandmother had a stroke that I even knew what occupational therapy was or entailed. I watched my grandmother participate in therapy leading her to learn how to tie her shoes again, and the things I thought were so simple as to dress herself again. It was during that time as high school graduation was approaching that I realized I wanted to be apart of that. I wanted to have a role helping others learn and exceed as she did because I seen how much joy it brought her. This experience opened my eye to the things we so often take for granted, that some people lose the ability of doing or lack the ability of doing. Throughout her journey of facing and overcoming these problems, it led me to a yearning to pursue this
As I got established in my new career, Occupational Therapy came back into my life again. The school had a team of Occupational Therapists working with students with various disabilities throughout the day. I was astounded I was able to witness at first hand, my first career choice. It felt as if life was reminding me of what I missed out and "if only" I had chosen Occupational Therapy from the beginning. Occupational Therapy was always what I wanted to pursue and observing OT's in various setting has made this profession more fascinating to me. It has all the interests I seek in a lifetime career choice; Its a profession which assists people in restoring their life back or improving their quality of life from sudden and unexpected circumstances . After a long time of putting off my Masters degree because of various obligatorily reasons , I finally am ready and able to pursue my Masters degree and my choice is to pursue it on Occupational
Mary Reilly was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1916. Her childhood dream was to become a teacher or perhaps study medicine. At the age of 21, Reilly started her schooling at the Boston School of Occupational Therapy, and ultimately begin her everlasting impact to the world of occupational therapy. By 1940 she received her certificate in Occupational Therapy and began her career at the Sigma Gamma Hospital School in Detroit, Michigan. In the 1950s, after serving as a captain in the United States Army Medical Specialists, Reilly enrolled in both the University of Southern California and UCLA. After receiving her Ph.D. in education, Reilly received the title of Chief of Rehabilitation at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at UCLA. In the course of the following decades, Reilly would have an influence on both the education and practice framework of occupational therapy. After receiving her famous Eleanor Clarke Lecture in 1961, she ultimately retired from USC in 1978 and was named an Emeritus Professor. Mary Reilly died on February 28, 2012, at the age of 95; however
Reilly M (1962) Occupational therapy can be one of the great ideas of the twentieth century. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 16, pp. 300-308