Occupational Therapy Essay

Occupational Therapy: What Puts it Above the Rest Occupational Therapy is one among many other therapeutic ways in which to correct a physical or mental problem. This type of therapy could be defined as “a form of therapy for those recuperating from physical or mental illness that encourages rehabilitation through the performance of activities required in daily life.” Through occupational therapy, there is hope to regain majority to full use in the area that was damaged. There are many different situations in which this type of therapy could be required, it is just dependent on the diagnosis and extent of injury. Along with this branch of therapy, speech and physical therapy are also prominent in the rehabilitation of a patient. Physical
Therapy is a widely known and effective way in which people of all ages can use strength exercises and other range of motion moves to regain strength in an area that was damaged. This area is therapy is commonly represented by the initials “PT”. “Physical therapy services are available in multiple settings, including the hospital, rehabilitation center, nursing home, outpatient clinic, adult medical day care, and at home” (AgingCare). The way in which each therapy session flows solely depends on the need and the age of the patient. For example, during hospital, rehab hospital or long-term care facility sessions, an older patient would have more safety precautions and accessibility available. Such precautions include items like “parallel bars” or walkers to maintain balance if necessary. Exercises completed during sessions could include stretching on a padded mat to increase swiftness and ability to lift up and out of bed or sitting position, or the pulling apart of elastic bands to increase upper body duration. Other tools such as weights are used in different positions to increase strength and ability with everyday movements such as standing or lifting. However, in an outpatient clinic, the patients are homebound and would potentially be capable of participating in a higher form of activity. “It often includes a variety of exercise equipment and machines to improve strength and balance” (AgingCare). Machines that are seen in a normal gym such as a treadmill or stationary bike would be tools used for increased resistance and range of motion on a patient. Lastly, within a home setting, physical therapy will be based from the reason their medical status would keep them homebound. The job of the PT would be to improve quality of life and accessibility at home. An example of what the home patient would could include: walking up and down stairs, strength exercises from the side of the bed or counter, and getting into and out of a vehicle. Overall, however, physical therapy’s purpose is to reduce pain, increase movement and agility, and strengthen a weakened area from injury or surgery. The Second most common therapy known in today’s society is known as Speech therapy.
Speech therapy helps people of all ages and languages improve communication and in some cases swallowing. With both of these actions being an essential part of life, that makes this form of therapy equally important. A therapist in this branch of therapy is referred to as a “speech-language pathologist (SLP)”. “SLP addresses the declines associated with the aging process, such as neurological difficulties, age-related illness, and deterioration of the swallowing mechanism” (AgingCare). Recommendations for Speech therapy are given due to the event of a stroke, physical abnormality, or other infections. During a speech therapy session there will be exercises given to improve articulation, fluency, and resonance (Going to a Speech Therapist). Articulation comes with how the person pronounces a specific word, letter, or other digraph sound. Another articulation disorder is a lisp. These are corrected through repetition exercises given by the therapist. The goal is to achieve fluency which could also be referred to as a stutter or strain while trying to say a word. In order to work towards the fixation of this problem, the therapist will suggest different methods in which to consider in situations where stuttering would be common. Suggestions and exercises during a session would include maintaining breathing, along with practicing things such as reading while in front of others. Articulation and
fluency sessions are similar due to the conjunction of the two problems. The therapist will teach the patient how to say words that are being said incorrectly and the movement of the lips and tongue in which needs to be done to successfully make the sound. In order to work with a child with this impediment, the therapist would use a school-like environment to work on grammar and projection Occupational therapy is the third and most broad form of therapy. Occupational therapists, referred to as OTs, work to “assist with the ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) such as getting dressed, toileting and bathing as well as Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) such as driving, shopping, cooking and recreational activities” (AgingCare). Through the improvement of these skills, comes more confidence and a sense of accomplishment within the individual. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), “in addition to dealing with someone's physical well-being, OT practitioners address psychological, social, and environmental factors that can affect functioning in different ways” (Occupational Therapy). Although it is thought that only adults could participate in such therapy, kids are in fact just as eligible due to the involvement in school performance, sports, and other essential day to day activities (Get Informed). Specific health cases in which children would require occupational therapy could range from birth defects to broken bones. Based upon the diagnosis of the child, the OT would do things like practice fine motor skills such as grasping and holding items in order for them to successfully learn to write, improve social skills by working with a child with attentional issues, or address hand-eye coordination to improve the child’s awareness and ability. Some of the tools used in an OT session would include massaging of the part in which needs incentive, an interactive metronome to improve the child’s processing quickness, or electrical stimulation. During my personal experience with the pediatric Occupational Therapy field, its range of expertise was more easily noticed.
The pediatric branch of OT reaches the ages 0-3 years. With this range comes more birth or early developmental issues in which the therapist is assigned to fix. My mentor, Mrs. Michelle, was a part of the Home Health Association in which her job was in neither an office nor a facility, but instead she travelled to the patient’s home or a spot in which was convenient for that particular family. Throughout my visits, I was able to work and observe a numerous amount of kids with most of them having different needs. For example, one little girl who was slightly over two, was born with two extra pinkies in the place of two thumbs. This was a trait that ran in her family because her mom had two pinkies on one hand and a thumb and pinky on the other. During this session, Mrs. Michelle would use simple things such as a coloring book or magnetic games in which to work on grip and coordination with each hand. The goal with this patient was to train her hand to fully operate and maintain normalcy as if the fingers were regular thumbs. Another patient was a little boy that was injured during birth. During the delivery, his arm became stuck in a way that the doctor was unaware, and on the way out a patch of nerves underneath his armpit were torn and damaged. This caused him to be incapable of having full range of motion with that arm. During the OT sessions, he
would do reaching exercises that would train his arm to properly complete each motion needed to function a normal life. Mrs. Michelle would make him use the right arm in an effort to stimulate his brain and allow him to retrain those muscles around the damaged area. A final example would be another little boy that had problems with the mechanics and function of his hand into his forearm. His nerves were not allowing his hand to fully grasp and complete activities of daily living properly. One of the treatments we used on him was adhesive tape that was cut to stick over each finger to the second knuckle, pulled back to the center of his forearm. This was used in order to restrict to improper motions he was trying to carry out, and with different games or exercises would complete normal movement to increase muscle memory (Pine). Although I only elaborated on three, in my experience alone, there were many other numerous complications that can be seen throughout the branch of Occupational Therapy. With OT being one among three of the most known therapies in today’s world, it could be concluded that it was the most beneficial due to the range of needs that can be covered. Although Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy are beneficial, they are more specifically limited to certain areas of assistance. Between parents and kids alike, OT is a continuously growing profession that will become more prominent as time progresses.