Nature of the Work
Occupational therapists (OTs) help people improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments. They work with individuals who have conditions that are mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling. They also help them to develop, recover, or maintain daily living and work skills. Occupational therapists help clients not only to improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also to compensate for permanent loss of function. Their goal is to help clients have independent, productive, and satisfying lives.
Occupational therapists assist clients in performing activities of all types, ranging from using a computer to caring for daily needs such as dressing, cooking, and eating. Physical exercises may be used to increase strength and dexterity, while other activities may be chosen to improve visual acuity and the ability to discern patterns. For example, a client with short-term memory loss might be encouraged to make lists to aid recall, and a person with coordination problems might be assigned exercises to improve hand-eye coordination. Occupational therapists also use computer programs to help clients improve decisionmaking, abstract-reasoning, problem-solving, and perceptual skills, as well as memory, sequencing, and coordination—all of which are important for independent living.
Therapists instruct those with permanent disabilities, such as spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, or muscular dystrophy, in the use of adaptive equipment, including wheelchairs, splints, and aids for eating and dressing. They also design or make special equipment needed at home or at work. Therapists develop computer-aided adaptive equipment and teach clients with severe limitations how to use that equipment in order to communicate better and control various aspects of their environment.
Some occupational therapists treat individuals whose ability to function in a work environment has been impaired. These practitioners arrange employment, evaluate the work environment, plan work activities, and assess the client’s progress. Therapists also may collaborate with the client and the employer to modify the work environment so that the work can be successfully completed.
Occupational therapists may work exclusively with individuals in a particular age group or with particular disabilities. In schools, for example, they evaluate children’s abilities, recommend and provide therapy, modify classroom equipment, and help children participate as fully as possible in school programs and activities. Occupational therapy also is beneficial to the elderly population. Therapists help the elderly lead more productive, active, and independent lives through a variety of methods, including the use of adaptive equipment.
Occupational therapists in mental-health settings treat individuals who are mentally ill, mentally retarded, or emotionally disturbed. To treat these problems, therapists choose activities that help people learn to engage in and cope with daily life. Activities include time management skills, budgeting, shopping, homemaking, and the use of public transportation. Occupational therapists also may work with individuals who are dealing with alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, eating disorders, or stress-related disorders.
Assessing and recording a client’s activities and progress is an important
part of an occupational therapist’s job. Accurate records are essential for
evaluating clients, for billing, and for reporting to physicians and other
healthcare providers.
Pemulihan Cara Kerja ialah rawatan pemulihan melalui aktiviti spesifik keatas pesakit yang menghadapi masalah fizikal, psikologikal, atau sosial, bertujuan membantu mereka mencapai tahap keupayaan yang maksima supya berdikari di semua aspek kehidupan harian.
Occupational Therapy is rehabilitative treatment through specific activities by patients who have physical, psychological or social problems, aiming to help them achieve their maximum level of abilities in order to be as independent as possible in all aspects of daily living.
Malaysian Occupational Therapist Association, September 1994
"Man,
through the use of his hands as they are energized by mind and will, can
influence the state if his own health."
Mary
Reilly OTR, 1962
"Occupation
is intentional performance organized in number and kind to meet the demands of
self maintenance and identity in the family and community."
Jeffrey
Crabtree OTR, AJOT March 1998
"PT's
teach people to walk, OT's teach people to dance."
Redge
Campbell OTR
"Occupational
therapy - the difference between life and living"
Australian
OT Association
"Occupational
therapy - skills for the job of living"
AOTA
1998
"Occupational
therapy - health by doing, independence through purposeful activity"
AOTA
1997
"Occupational
therapists use the term "occupation" in somewhat different way than
usual. "Occupations" are the tasks and activities which
"occupy" one's time in a meaningful way. A concept that is included in
most definitions, though sometimes implicitly, is that occupation involves both
action and meaning. Action taking and meaning making are the central therapeutic
processes which comprise occupational therapy"
Mattingly,
Fleming and Gillette
How
many OTs does it take to change a lightbulb?
None - an OT will teach a lightbulb to change itself.
"Occupational
therapy is the therapeutic use of self-care, work, and play activities to
increase independent function, enhance development, and prevent disability; may
include adaptation of task or environment to achieve maximum independence and to
enhance quality of life."
Dictionary
definition of occupational therapy, adopted and approved by the Representative
Assembly in April 1986
"Occupational
therapy is the art and science of directing man's participation in selected
tasks to restore, reinforce, and enhance performance; facility learning of those
skills and functions essential for adaptation and productivity; diminish or
correct pathology; and to promote and maintain health. Its fundamental concern
is the capacity, throughout the life span, to perform with satisfaction to self
and others those tasks and roles essential to productive living and to the
mastery of self and the environment."
Willard
and Spackman's Occupational Therapy, H.L. Hopkins and H.D. Smith, 1993
"Occupational
therapy is the use of purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve
functional outcomes which promote health, prevent injury or disability, and
which develop, improve, sustain or restore the highest possible level of
independence of any individual who has an injury, illness, cognitive impairment,
psychosocial dysfunction, mental illness, developmental or learning disability,
physical disability, or other disorder or condition. It includes assessment by
means of skilled observation or evaluation through the administration and
interpretation of standardized or nonstandardized tests and measurements."
Definition
of Occupational Therapy Practice for State Regulation by the American
Occupational Therapy Association, 1994
Occupational
therapy involves the "therapeutic use of work, self-care, and play
activities to increase independent function, enhance development, and prevent
disability. It may include adaptation of task or environment to achieve maximum
independence and to enhance the quality of life."
Official
definition of occupational therapy as passed by the AOTA Executive Board, 1976
Working Conditions
Occupational therapists in hospitals and other healthcare and community settings usually worked a 40-hour week. Those in schools may participate in meetings and other activities during and after the school day.
In large rehabilitation centers, therapists may work in spacious rooms equipped with machines, tools, and other devices generating noise. The work can be tiring, because therapists are on their feet much of the time. Those providing home healthcare services may spend time driving from appointment to appointment. Therapists also face hazards such as back strain from lifting and moving clients and equipment.
Therapists increasingly are taking on supervisory roles. Due to rising healthcare costs, third-party payers are beginning to encourage occupational therapist assistants and aides to take more hands-on responsibility. By having assistants and aides work more closely with clients under the guidance of a therapist, the cost of therapy should decline.
Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
Occupational therapy coursework includes physical, biological, and behavioral sciences and the application of occupational therapy theory and skills. Completion of 6 months of supervised fieldwork also is required.
Persons considering this profession should take high school courses in biology, chemistry, physics, health, art, and the social sciences. College admissions offices also look favorably at paid or volunteer experience in the healthcare field.
Occupational therapists need patience and strong interpersonal skills to inspire trust and respect in their clients. Ingenuity and imagination in adapting activities to individual needs are assets. Those working in home healthcare services must be able to adapt to a variety of settings.
Institutions in Malaysia that provide OT program :
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