1. Occupational Therapy 101: What Is OT?
Cindi Kumpf–Intern
AOTA Public Affairs Office

2. What Is Occupation?
Occupations are the “ordinary and familiar things that people do every day” (AOTA, 1995, p. 1015) and consist of many dimensions, including:
Performance
Context
Temporal
Psychological
Social and symbolic
Spiritual
The main categories of occupation include work, self-care, play, and leisure.

3. Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is skilled treatment that helps people become successful in their everyday occupations. Often independence is the goal and can be achieved through:
Skilled treatment in rehabilitating lost motor or cognitive function
Adaptive equipment
Home modifications
Client and caregiver guidance

4. Occupational Therapists Work…
In these areas: - Physical Rehabilitation - Mental Health Services - Learning Disability - Pediatrics - Environmental Adaptation - Care Management - Equipment for Daily Living - Research
In these places: - Community centers - Education establishments - Hospitals - Home Health - Industrial and Commercial organizations
- Residential and Nursing homes - Social Services - Schools - Charities and Voluntary agencies

5. OT Within an Interdisciplinary Team
Collaborate with physical therapy, speech therapy, nursing, medicine, social work
Be a team player!
Work closely with team members and sometimes overlap

6. Go TEAM! Team approach offers patient best care
Assessments from a variety of perspectives
Each brings different insights
OT helps patients find meaning and purpose
Use abilities to participate in occupations
Maximize treatment and outcomes
Communication is key!
Advocate for the patient

7. Occupational Therapy Process
To begin treatment…
we need a physician referral!
In an initial evaluation, we look at a patient’s occupational performance and individual goals
We assess a person’s performance skills related to specific tasks, including one’s
Motor skills,
Process skills, and
Communication/interaction skills.
The culmination of these areas allows an individual to participate in daily life

8. Services Offered ADL and IADL Training
ADL stands for “Activities of Daily Living”
These can include bathing, dressing, grooming, and other activities that are basic to our daily lives
We assist individuals in improving function through participation in ADL. We may suggest adaptive equipment, provide verbal cues for sequencing, work on problem solving, and assess an individual’s ability to perform ADL safely

9. Services Offered IADL Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
These are more complex activities that we routinely do to take care of ourselves and others and contribute to society
These may include money management, community mobility, child rearing, and meal preparation

10. Cognition
One of the most important factors in an individual’s return home is his or her ability to be safe within the home environment
We address cognition as it relates to participation in occupation
Is an individual able to problem solve through meal preparation?
If not, what sort of external cues might he or she need to be successful?

11. Neuromuscular Re-Education
Physical agent modalities, such as Functional Electrical Stimulation, may be used in addition to functional reaching exercises to regain muscle strength and use after a stroke.
Gross and fine motor coordination may be compromised after a neurological insult. OTs assist in regaining coordination for functional activities.

12. Upper-Extremity Splinting
To increase an individual’s ability to participate in occupations, sometimes splinting intervention is indicated to stabilize the wrist and hand and assist in the healing process
We splint for such conditions as:
Carpal Tunnel
Radial Nerve Palsy
Tendinitis

13. Home Safety Evaluation
Recommendations for Durable Medical Equipment (DME)
Some examples include: Wheelchair, walker, bedside commode, shower chair, and cane
Tips for preventing accidents and falls
Color-code knobs on stove or washer/dryer for people with low vision
Remove throw rugs to prevent falls
Recommendations for home modifications to improve safety, security, and independence
Ramp construction
Bathroom or kitchen modifications for accessibility

14. Work and Community Integration
Ergonomic evaluations and recommendations for work and home modifications
Driving evaluations
Work capacity evaluation
and work hardening

15. Patient, Family, & Caregiver Education
Where is education provided?
In a variety of settings such as: Hospice, hospital, rehabilitation, inpatient and outpatient, skilled nursing facility, schools, and home health
What is included with patient, family, & caregiver education?
Self-treatment or caregiver techniques
ADL re-training
Eating, dressing, or personal hygiene
Precautions after surgeries (i.e., hip replacement)
Use of adaptive equipment for functional activity
Reacher, sock aid, sliding board for transfers
Prosthetic training
Pain management

16. Assistive Technology
Assistive technology is provided for physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Some examples include:
Wheelchairs: seating systems and communication boards
Low Vision: magnifiers, enhanced lighting, and color coding
Adaptive household equipment is also available for functional needs:
Bathing, dressing, grooming, driving,
cooking, and other occupations

17. Common Diagnoses Neurological Disorders Repetitive Strain Injuries
Stroke
Traumatic Brain Injury
Parkinson’s Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Alzheimer’s Disease
Spinal Cord Injury
Repetitive Strain Injuries
Back Pain
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

18. Common Diagnoses (Cont.)
Mental Health
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
Schizophrenia
Major Depressive Disorder
Developmental Disabilities
Cerebral Palsy
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Developmental Delays
Learning Disabilities

19. Common Diagnoses (Cont.)
Other Common Diagnoses
Amputations
Hand Injuries
Arthritis
Low Vision
Musculoskeletal Trauma
Sensory Dysfunction
Chronic Pain
Lymphedema
Burns

20. Benefits to the Patient
Adaptation to environment or restoration of function
Ability to participate more fully in occupations
Faster recovery
Improved quality of life
Enhanced outcomes
Prevention
Unnecessary hospital stays
Work-related injuries

21. Occupational Therapy Curriculum at Creighton University
Entry-Level Clinical Doctorate
9 semesters of graduate-level coursework
Four clinical experiences

22. Focus On Theoretical & Clinical Advances Critical Thinking
Neuro-Occupation
Occupational Science
Ethics and Health Policy
Management of Service
Supervision and Teamwork
Teaching and Dissemination of Knowledge
Collaborative Research

23. Any questions?
THANK YOU

24. References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (1995). Position Paper: Occupation. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 49, 1015–1018.