Occupational Therapy or Occupational Therapy is the treatment of various physical and mental disorders by involving patients in certain types of work. This allows patients to stay busy and achieve maximum independence in everyday life.
The types of activities in which patients are involved are selected taking into account the individual needs and inclinations of each patient. Such activities include metal and wood crafting, pottery painting, various crafts, home economics, and social skills for mentally ill patients. Patients are also offered active leisure activities such as walking, playing sports, etc.
In addition, occupational therapy includes the process of becoming accustomed to mechanical mobility aids such as wheelchairs or prosthetics, as well as adaptation to life in the home environment.
Occupational therapy can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in combination with other methods such as medication, physical therapy and rehabilitation. She helps patients regain their social functioning, improve their quality of life and increase self-esteem.
Occupational therapy is one of the effective ways to treat various physical and psychological diseases. It consists of involving patients in various types of work activities that allow them to constantly engage in work and achieve maximum independence in everyday life. There are many types of work that patients can be involved in, but they are selected individually for each patient, taking into account his needs, abilities and inclinations.
One type of occupational therapy is the ability to work with various materials. In particular, the art of working with wood and metal, creating various products, be it furniture or dishes, is an effective way to treat patients suffering from depression, addiction and other psychological difficulties. Despite the fact that we are talking about occupational therapy, patients do not lose their individuality.
Occupational therapy is one of the forms of psychological rehabilitation, which involves the targeted use of labor actions in medical practice. This is a form of professional activity with the regular development of professional actions in order to influence the state and development of the human psyche. It is a comprehensive method of rehabilitation of mental and physical human conditions, which helps to correct functional deviations, uniting a person into a social group. When the patient is given the opportunity to use his abilities and capabilities for useful activities, he is more likely to recover faster. A person’s professional work activity is aimed at obtaining a specific profession, therefore, in essence, it includes the process of preparation, training and adaptation to the workplace and type of activity. Occupational therapy as a treatment method is prescribed only after a serious medical diagnosis. It can take different forms:
- classes with a doctor in order to determine the most accurate diagnosis of a person, his need to restore body functions; - involvement in various types of work activities with subsequent development of skills and abilities; - professional therapy, which is compiled taking into account the individual abilities and capabilities of the person, as well as the possibilities for improving and restoring the patient’s condition and function; - social occupational therapy using a system of work classes in specially organized conditions with group training in communication skills in everyday life and in the workplace; - individual occupational therapy: a specific choice of tasks and types of work activity is carried out by a professionally trained psychologist and speech therapist.