April is Occupational Therapy Month!

Welcome to my newest blog! Even though it is April Fool's Day, April is also National Occupational Therapy month. I thought it appropriate to start my new blog today in honor of the profession.

First, a little about me. I have been an occupational therapist since 1992 and I have worked with a variety of patients in many settings. I am currently working with adults in outpatient and home health throughout the Dallas area.

Many people are unaware of what occupational therapy is so my first task is to attempt an explanation. I get asked all the time if I can help find someone a job. The term Occupational Therapy was coined around 1917 and referred to the use of "occupations" as therapy modalities. In that era, occupation did not simply refer to work or a job, but all aspects of life including dressing, bathing, cooking, laundry, hobbies, and, of course, work. If someone injured their hand, they might be given some leather to tool or wood to carve to increase motion, strength and function.

During and after WWII, reconstruction aides were utilized to get wounded soldiers back into the service or home. The disciplines of Occupational and Physical Therapy ultimately emerged from those reconstruction aides. So PT and OT have basically the same origins, just different areas of focus. PTs became known for strengthening and walking with use of exercise and modalities like ultrasound and electrical stimulation, while OT used traditional crafts to develop fine motor skills and cognitive components of function. OTs initially developed a strong presence in the field of mental health.

Over the years, OT began to be seen as "the craft ladies" and without any scientific credibility despite tremendous research and evidence supporting our methods. As a result, many OTs shifted to use of exercise and modalities to replace the use of "crafts" in our practice, but we maintained our emphasis on relating our purpose to everyday function. OTs tend to see a patient or client as a whole person rather than a back injury or a stroke victim.

Today, you will find OTs in hospitals, home health, schools and community settings treating all ages with a wide variety of disorders. We are often confused as nurses or physical therapists, but we are a unique field that continues to evolve despite many challenges in today's healthcare.

While there are several vague definitions for occupational therapy, the one I use most is-physical therapy teaches you to move again, while occupational therapy teaches you to live again. My goal for this blog is to educate about occupational therapy and to promote how OT can be beneficial healthly living and function.