We take for granted the many Activities Of Daily Living (ADL), until the day when we lose the ability to perform such relatively simple tasks as dressing, eating, bathing… the things that make us independent and self-sufficient. Your Occupational Therapist will work with you to help you relearn these and other skills to improve your quality of life. Occupational therapy is skilled treatment that helps individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives. Occupational therapy gives people the "skills for the job of living" that are needed for independent and satisfying lives. A physician’s prescription is required for treatment.
Services may include:
- Customized treatment programs aimed at improving abilities to carry out the activities of daily living
- Comprehensive evaluation of home and job environments and recommendations on necessary adaptation
- Assessments and treatment for performance skills
- Recommendations and training in the use of adaptive equipment
- Guidance to family members and caregivers
- Hand Therapy
- Lymphedema Management
- Work Simulation /Conditioning --- Workinetics Program
- Neurological and Orthopedic Disorders
Occupational therapy practitioners are skilled professionals
whose education includes the study of human growth and development
with specific emphasis on the social, emotional, and physiological
effects of illness and injury. Schuylkill Rehabilitation Center
has a large friendly staff of Occupational Therapists who continually
master advanced skills through experience and educational opportunities.
An occupational therapist enters the field with a bachelors, masters,
or doctoral degree. The occupational therapy assistant earns an
associate degree. Practitioners must complete supervised clinical
internships in a variety of health care settings, and pass a national
examination. Most states also regulate occupational therapy practice.
The ultimate goal in Occupational Therapy is to improve your functional
skills, whether it is through increased mobility, improved cognition
or adapting self-care tasks, to assist individuals in becoming as
independent as possible in Activities of Daily Living.
An Occupational Therapy Evaluation may include some of the following areas:
Upper Extremity Function:
- Range of Motion
- Strength
- Coordination (fine/gross motor)
- Sensation
- Pain
- Edema
Activities of Daily Living:
- UE/LE Dressing
- Bathing /Grooming/Hygiene
- Toileting
- Feeding
- Meal Preparation
- Home Management Abilities
- Transfers /Balance/Functional Mobility
Pt. Knowledge of Illness/Injury/Prevention
- Leisure Skills
- General Social Adjustment
- Patient Expectations/Goals
- Wound Care
Cognition/Perception:
- Memory
- Attention
- Problem Solving
- Apraxia
- Executive Functions
- Visual Processing
Work Abilities:
- Proper Body Mechanics
- Lifting/Pushing/Pulling/Carrying
- Squating/Sitting/Standing/Kneeling
- Climbing/Repetitive Tasks etc.
To learn more about Occupational Therapy refer to
these related links:
www.AOTA.org
www.POTA.org
www.AOTF.org
