East Bay Occupational Therapist

In simpler terms, an occupational therapist is a well-trained therapist that makes use of critical assessment to develop, maintain, or recover certain meaningful activities of communities, groups, and individuals. Often times, these well-trained occupational therapists work with individuals with disabilities, impairment, injuries, and mental problems.

According to the AOTA (American Occupational Therapy Association), an occupational therapist is someone that helps individuals irrespective of their age and background to participate in things that they would love to do through the use of everyday activities. Some of these everyday activities include but are definitely not limited to these;

• Leisure activities like gardening, sports etc.
• Self-care activities like; eating, moving around, getting dressed etc.
• Productive activities like going to school, work, completing a project, being part of a community social group etc.

Services Offered By Occupational Therapists

Some of the services occupational therapists offer to individuals of different ages and background include;

For Children;

Occupational therapists help children to;

• Achieve certain developmental milestones like; hand-eye coordination and motor skills
• Would educate children and parents alike on the importance of these skills, at the same time offering them helpful tips that would see their children become well developed physically and mentally.

For Seniors;

They offer the following services;

• Set up programs that would help these aged ones to enhance or improve their daily life after they have undergone treatments for stroke and hip replacement.
• Carefully assessing the home of the client to ensure that it does not in any way pose a threat to the well-being of the client.
• Offering advises as well as prescribing medications and programs to clients and caregivers alike.

Individuals With Mental Health;

For those with mental problems, occupational therapists offer the following services;

• Setting up the group and individual programs that would help clients become more independent in carrying out certain life tasks.
• Devise strategies that will help clients cope with mental health problems
• Devise a plan that would help increase the confidence level and also self-esteem of their clients.

Those With Injury;

East Bay occupational therapists offer these services to those suffering from injuries;

• Making use of specialized tools to help determine the various functional requirements of the client’s job and also assessing the capacity of the client to return back to work.
• Designing work return programs
• Carefully examining the workplace. After this careful examination has been conducted, the occupational therapist would have the environment modified to ensure that the risk of the client incurring injuries in the future is reduced to the barest minimum.
• Offer helpful safe working tips to clients.

Where Occupational Therapists Are Needed

While we have discussed some of the services these occupational therapists offer, we will mention some of the institutions that need at least one occupational therapist in their midst.

1. Health institutions; an occupational therapist can help attend to people in these institutions; hospitals, mental health centers, nursing homes, schools, health centers etc.
2. Businesses and industries; an occupational therapist is needed in organizations, businesses etc.
3. All government offices.
4. The home as well as the community at large

Benefits Of An Occupational Therapist

Some of the benefits of visiting an occupational therapist include but are definitely not limited to these;

• They would help to develop programs and activities that would help children in communicating and interacting with their peers.
• Would recommend assistive devices for both children and seniors alike
• Would offer helpful safe working tips that would ensure that you are never missing from the office
• Would completely improve the sleep and wake-up schedule of clients at the same time offering them tips that would enable them to get a good night sleep.