The term ‘occupational therapy’ was coined in the early 1900s, but the work that is performed by an occupational therapist has undergone considerable revision through the twentieth century and beyond.

Have you ever wondered what being an occupational therapist involves? Do you think your current physical condition could be improved through the services of an occupational therapist? Would you want to pursue a career as an occupational therapist?

Perhaps the following information can help you make this very important career choice—or seek the services of a qualified occupational therapist to better your completion of ‘activities of daily living,’ a phrase at the heart of occupational therapy.

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) provides this ‘definition’ for occupational therapy: “…help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations).”

The words ‘help people’ were spoken by many occupational therapists interviewed.

Many of the best occupational therapists joined the field to make a difference in people’s lives.

This may all sound a little simplistic. However, to exhibit the patience required in the field of occupational therapy, there must be a true desire to help people regain their independence and self-respect when met with a hurdle in continuing their daily lifestyle.

Both an occupational therapist and a patient (in-hospital, outpatient, or as a home health patient) quickly learn what tasks are involved in ‘everyday activities, most commonly referred to as the ‘activities of daily living,’ and by its acronym, ‘ADLs.’ This generally refers to the basic activities of everyday life, such as eating, toileting, bathing, and dressing.

An occupational therapist may work in any number of locations; for example:

1. Schools to assist with developmental disorders, sensory regulation, fine motor development delays, or autism
2. Rehabilitation centers working with patients who have experienced serious surgery, strokes, head injuries, etc.
3. Acute care and long-term acute care hospitals where patients generally have experienced a traumatic event
4. Skilled nursing facilities where aged or severely physically challenged require assistance and/or training to accomplish ADLs
5. Outpatient services which may offer specialized practices such as hand therapy
6. Home health services to the elderly to assist them in maximizing their independence
7. Productive aging techniques to assist the geriatric population to compensate for gradual losses of competency with ADLs
8. Mental health facility to maximize independent functions of ADLs

You may notice that several of the examples given appear to be most used by the geriatric population. “Although persons of all ages may have problems performing the ADLs, prevalence rates are much higher for the elderly than for the nonelderly. Within the elderly population, ADL prevalence rates rise steeply with advancing age and are especially high for persons aged 85 and over (Rivlin and Wiener, 1988).”

How does someone determine a need for an occupational therapist? There are several situations that lend themselves to the services of an occupational therapist; a few are listed below:

1. A serious injury or extensive surgery
2. Aging and losing various functions or having limited use of extremities resulting from an occurrence such as a stroke
3. Challenge performing work tasks
4. Mental challenges with performing ADLs
5. Developmental delays in children

Before any ‘treatment’ is begun, an evaluation must be performed to determine the amount of ‘activity’ of which a person is capable. This step is usually referred to as “…activity analysis or the exploration of the typical contexts, demands and potential meanings that could be ascribed to activity (Crepau 2003, p. 191).” The problems and difficulties being experienced in performing ADLs must be evaluated before a plan of treatment can be proposed.

AOTA provides the following description of common occupational therapy steps to determine what interventions may be needed and used:

• an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
• customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.
• Occupational therapy services may include comprehensive evaluations of the client’s home and other environments (e.g., workplace, school), recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use, and guidance and education for family members and caregivers.

It has been said that occupational therapy practitioners utilize a holistic perspective; in other words, occupational therapists look at the entire person and the environment in which that person needs to function. This could require extensive communication with the patient’s family to determine particular needs that might be required at home or at work. What adjustments can be made in the physicality of the individual to cope with the current environment—and what environmental changes can be adjusted to allow the individual to function either at home or at work?

Learning about the usefulness of occupational therapy is the first step in determining its application in your life—as a person who can benefit from assistance or as a student making a career decision to pursue becoming an occupational therapist.