Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy ?

Occupational therapy, often abbreviated as "OT", uses meaningful and purposeful occupations to promote health. These can be work related activities to leisure activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals, families, groups and communities to facilitate health and well-being through engagement or re-engagement in occupation. Occupational therapists are becoming increasingly involved in addressing the impact of social, political and environmental factors that contribute to exclusion and occupational deprivation.

The World Federation of Occupational Therapists defines occupational therapy as a profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. Occupational therapists address the question, "Why does this person have difficulties in his or her daily activities (or occupations), and what can we adapt to make it possible for him or her to manage better to impact his or her health and well-being?” Occupational therapists use careful analysis of physical, environmental, psychosocial, mental, spiritual, political and cultural factors to identify barriers to occupation. The primary goal of an occupational therapist is to enable individuals, groups and communities to participate in actitivies which are meaningful to them, reflect their beliefs and values, and produce a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction. Occupational therapy has been described as addressing the "skills for the job of living" necessary for "living life to its fullest." Occupational therapy draws from the fields of medicine, psychology, sociology, anthropology, ethnography, architecture and many other disciplines in developing its knowledge base. A new discipline of occupational science has been developed to enhance the evidence base of the profession.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Wikipedia