Health

Everything You Need to Know About Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy is only going to get more important as the population continues to age, so it’s worth learning more about, whether it’s something you wish to consider as a career, or something you can benefit from right now.

Everything You Need to Know About Occupational Therapy

In brief, Occupational Therapists help when people can’t do tasks that matter to them due to chronic ill health, a learning disability, an ongoing mental health condition or even just the challenges of an aging body.

These tasks could be as a seemingly mundane as getting dressed, or going to the shops but finding ways to manage when they would otherwise be impossible can be enormously important in restoring someone’s independence, or even giving them a way to live independently for the first time.

Occupational Therapists will consider all aspects of whatever the particular issues a person may be facing, from the practical to the psychological and find ways that they can deal with it. For example, if someone is having difficulty bathing or showering, a simple physical solution would be to have support bars fitted in the bathroom. Bigger jobs can be broken down into a series of discrete steps that can make them more manageable for someone with limited energy or mobility.

How to Find Occupational Therapists

Occupational Therapists work in association with hospitals and GP practices so the way most people access them is through being referred by their doctor, or following a hospital procedure like a hip replacement which brings with it the sort of issues an Occupational Therapist can help you adapt to.

You don’t need to wait for your doctor to decide to refer you. If you feel the scope of your life is reduced by a health condition, either new or existing you can request access to an Occupational Therapist either through your GP or by using a professional body to find a private Occupational Therapist near you.

Qualifications

If you are looking at Occupational Therapy jobs you will need a degree in Occupational Therapy either as a three to four year undergraduate course, or a conversion course if you already have Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject. There are also part time and in service courses for those unable to omit to a full time degree.

An accredited degree will allow you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council, which allows you to legally practice this discipline.

4 thoughts on “Everything You Need to Know About Occupational Therapy

  1. Heather, thanks for sharing this information about occupational therapists. My grandmother is hoping to find a reputable occupational therapist to help her. She mentioned that she’d like to find someone who’s close to where she lives.

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