Occupational therapists are trained professional that help individuals achieve independence in all aspects of their lives. A few of the health conditions that benefit from occupational therapy include: work-related injuries including lower back problems, limitations following a stroke or heart attack, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or other serious chronic conditions, birth injuries, learning problems, or developmental disabilities, mental health or behavioral problems including Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress, problems with substance use or eating disorders, burns, spinal cord injuries, or amputations, broken bones or other injuries from falls, sports injuries, or accidents and vision or cognitive problems that threaten the ability to drive. A few of the services that they typically provide are customized treatment programs to improve a person's ability to perform daily activities, comprehensive home and job site evaluations with adaptation recommendations, performance skills assessments and treatment, adaptive equipment recommendations and usage training and guidance to family members and caregivers. A general program helps to accomplish and/or may include the following: assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as eating, dressing, bathing, using the toilet, handwriting, cooking, and basic housekeeping, social skills retraining, gait and balance retraining, involvement in community support groups, activities to improve cognitive impairments, such as difficulties with concentration, attention, memory, and poor judgment, education regarding the disease and disease process, goal setting (short- and long-term) involving the individual and family members.…
