| Copyright (c) 2008 David Bressman | | | | aids, design or build special equipment needed at |
| An important member of the brain injury treatment | | | | home or at work, including computer-aided adaptive |
| team will likely be an occupational therapist. | | | | equipment. Teaching can be used on how to use the |
| Occupational therapists help patients improve their | | | | equipment to improve communication and control |
| ability to perform tasks in living and working | | | | various situations in their environment |
| environments. This kind therapy focuses on enabling | | | | Occupational therapy is used in treating traumatic |
| individuals who suffer from mental, physical, | | | | brain injury [TBI] during many phases of recovery |
| developmental, or emotionally disabling conditions to | | | | and rehabilitation. Such therapy may be involved in |
| do, and manage, the activities of daily life [ADL]. ADL | | | | providing sensory, motor, and positioning supports |
| can include, just by example, using a computer, | | | | during periods of coma. As the patient improves and |
| dressing, cooking, eating, bathing as well as | | | | regains skills, occupational therapy eases the process |
| job-related tasks. | | | | and re-teaches skills ranging from basic self-care, to |
| Occupational therapists are highly educated. A | | | | complex cognitive skills such as memory and problem |
| master's degree, or higher, in occupational therapy is | | | | solving. |
| the minimum requirement for entry into the field. | | | | WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR IN AN |
| Coursework in occupational therapy programs include | | | | OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST? |
| the physical, biological, and behavioral sciences as well | | | | The following is by no means meant to be an |
| as the application of occupational therapy theory and | | | | exhaustive list of the questions or concerns you |
| skills. Programs also require the completion of 6 | | | | should have when choosing an occupational therapist |
| months of supervised fieldwork. | | | | nor is the following meant to disqualify any |
| Occupational therapy works with individuals no matter | | | | occupational therapist you are considering, these are |
| their age. In addition to traditional medical settings, | | | | meant to enable you to begin a discussion with the |
| occupational therapists can see people recovering | | | | occupational therapist. |
| from brain injury in birth-to-three early intervention | | | | 1. Look for licensing as, typically, such therapists must |
| programs, in public school settings, as job coaches, | | | | be licensed, requiring a master's degree in |
| and as part of community mental health. | | | | occupational therapy, 6 months of supervised |
| An occupational therapist is a health professional. | | | | fieldwork, and passing scores on national and State |
| According to an Ohio State University website, | | | | examinations. |
| "Occupational therapy is a healthcare profession that | | | | 2. Do they work full-time in their profession? More |
| uses "occupation," or purposeful activity, to help | | | | than a quarter of occupational therapists work part |
| persons with physical, developmental, or emotional | | | | time. |
| disabilities lead independent, productive, and satisfying | | | | 3. How often will the therapist assess and record |
| lives." This occupational therapist evaluates the | | | | your activities? Progress is an important part of an |
| self-care, work and leisure skills of a person and plans | | | | occupational therapist's job. Accurate records are |
| and implements social and interpersonal activities to | | | | essential for evaluating clients, for billing, and for |
| develop, restore, and/or maintain the person's ability | | | | reporting to physicians and other health care |
| to accomplish ADL. The therapist helps to improve | | | | providers. |
| basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also | | | | 4. Does the therapist specialize. Some occupational |
| to compensate for permanent loss of function. The | | | | therapists may work exclusively with individuals in a |
| ultimate goal is to return the person to an | | | | particular age group or with a particular disability. In a |
| independent, productive and satisfying life. | | | | school setting, a therapist may work with children |
| Occupational therapists treatments range from the | | | | individually. Some therapists provide early intervention |
| physical to the mental. Physical exercises may be | | | | therapy to infants and toddlers who have, or are at |
| used to increase strength and dexterity, while other | | | | risk of having, developmental delays. Some |
| activities may be chosen to improve visual acuity or | | | | occupational therapists work only with elderly |
| the ability to discern patterns. For example, a person | | | | patients. |
| with short-term memory loss might be encouraged | | | | 5. Will the therapist make home visits? It is important, |
| to make lists to aid recall while a person with | | | | once you begin to re-establish your independence |
| coordination problems might be assigned exercises to | | | | that you take into account the role TBI will play in |
| improve hand-eye coordination. Occupational | | | | coping with your daily life. An occupational therapist |
| therapists also use computer programs to help | | | | can make recommendations for adaptive equipment, |
| improve decision-making, abstract-reasoning, | | | | training to prolong driving independence, assess |
| problem-solving, and perceptual skills, as well as | | | | homes for hazards and identify environmental factors |
| memory, sequencing, and coordination—all of | | | | that could contribute to further injury and injury |
| which are important for independent living. | | | | prevention. |
| Other treatments can include the use of adaptive | | | | 6. Will the therapist visit, and assess, your work |
| equipment, including wheelchairs, eating aids, dressing | | | | environment? |