Age Safe® America is proud to recognize the important contributions this specialized healthcare modality provides; and all the Occupational Therapists we have had the pleasure to of worked with over the years. Occupational Therapy Month began in 1980 to correspond with the annual conference and expo for The American Occupational Therapy Association.
According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of daily activities (occupations). Occupational Therapy practitioners enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health and prevent, or live better with, injury, illness, or disability. The AOTA defines occupational therapy as the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals or groups for the purpose of participation in roles and situations in home, school, workplace, community, and other settings. Occupational therapy addresses the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of performance in a variety of contexts to support engagement in everyday life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life.
When injury strikes or long term wear of joints and muscles require rehabilitation, an Occupational Therapist provides the necessary exercises to get us back into our daily routines. Simply getting out of bed may be a challenge or moving from one position to another becomes a problem we need to overcome. Occupational Therapists have studied the movements required to make these transitions happen safely and to retrain our newly repaired body part to do the job. They know the therapies to help improve weakened muscles and alternatives when others fail us. For every age and ability, Occupational Therapists provide care to improve the quality of life to each patient.
Common Occupational Therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing support for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes.
We join in dedicating the month of April to thanking all Occupational Therapy practitioners who are committed to bettering the lives of their patients and especially those dedicated to our aging population. The important work that they do helps older Americans to remain safe and independent, and pursue the activities that are important to them, which would be difficult to accomplish otherwise.
Find more info on www.aota.org