April is Occupational Therapy Month
Bloomington, Ind. (April 19, 2010) – Occupational therapy enables people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. It is a practice deeply rooted in science and is evidence-based, meaning that the plan designed for each individual is supported by data, experience, and “best practices” that have been developed and proven over time.
“Occupational therapy is about helping people live the best life they can, as independently as they can,” says Rachael Norton, MS, OTR, occupational therapist with Bloomington Hospital’s Rebound. “As occupational therapists, we work with clients ranging from toddlers who need help developing their fine motor skills to seniors who are looking for assistance in adjusting activities of daily living to fit their abilities.”
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants focus on “doing” whatever occupations or activities are meaningful to the individual. It is occupational therapy’s purpose to get beyond problems to the solutions that assure living life to its fullest. These solutions may be adaptations for how to do a task, changes to the surroundings, or helping individuals to alter their own behaviors.
In south central Indiana, Bloomington Hospital offers occupational therapy in a variety of settings. Dedicated occupational therapists work with inpatients during their hospital stay as needed in the hospital’s Orthopedics & Neuroscience Unit as well as the Acute Rehabilitation Unit. Bloomington Hospital’s Rebound provides occupational therapy on an outpatient basis in five locations, while Bloomington Hospital’s Home Health & Hospice provides occupational therapy services in the client’s home for those unable to travel. And, for the youngest patients, the hospital’s Children’s Therapy Clinic offers occupational therapy.
“We see children from infants through adolescents. During occupational therapy, we help them develop functional skills, which could include activities of daily living like dressing and feeding, developing motor skills or even working on appropriate social interactions,” says Pam Felts, OT, manager of the Children’s Therapy Clinic.
When working with an occupational therapy practitioner, strategies and modifications are customized for each individual to resolve problems, improve function, and support everyday living activities. The goal is to maximize potential. Through these therapeutic approaches, occupational therapy helps individuals design their lives, develop needed skills, adjust their environments (e,g., home, school, or work) and build health-promoting habits and routines that will allow them to thrive.
By taking the full picture into account—a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social makeup as well as their environment—occupational therapy assists clients to do the following:
- Achieve goals
- Function at the highest possible level
- Concentrate on what matters most to them
- Maintain or rebuild their independence
- Participate in daily activities that they need or want to do.
To learn more about occupational therapy through Bloomington Hospital, visit bloomingtonhospital.org.
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About Bloomington Hospital
Bloomington Hospital, a Clarian Health Partner, has been innovative in providing quality care to south central Indiana communities for more than a century. Offering a comprehensive continuum of care, Bloomington Hospital is a not-for-profit organization and has a patient base of 413,000 in 10 counties (Brown, Daviess, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington). Bloomington Hospital currently operates two hospital campuses (Bloomington and Orange County) with regional specialty offerings for Heart and Vascular, Behavioral Health, Cancer, Women and Children, Neurology and Orthopedic services. As a leading hospital in Indiana, Bloomington Hospital enhances health by advancing the art and science of medicine through the use of new technologies, procedures and care.