This week, health care professionals from across the country celebrate Occupational Therapy (OT) Week to help raise awareness and promote the enormous difference OT has on so many people’s lives.
At Seashell, we are incredibly lucky to have a multidisciplinary team of clinicians based on our campus, including Nurses, Speech and Language Therapists, Audiologists, Physiotherapists, Assistive Technologists and of course, Occupational Therapists! This team expertly support our students in school and college, as well as disabled children and young adults nationally.
So…what is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy (OT) is the implementation of strategies that help people do the things they want and have to do at home, work and everywhere else in between. That could mean overcoming challenges learning at school, going to work or taking part in physical activities.
It’s also a science-based, health and social care profession that is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council.
What are occupations and why are they important?
An occupation is any activity that we need, want or like to do to live and look after our physical and mental health. We do occupations throughout our life, both independently and with others.
Examples of occupations are:
- Self-care – such as washing, eating or sleeping
- Productive – such as work, study, caring or domestic activities
- Leisure – such as playing sports, hobbies or socialising.
Occupations vary depending on our environment, interests and values, they also change and develop throughout our lives.
What do Occupational Therapists do?
Occupational Therapists (OT’s) help break down barriers that might make an activity or an ‘occupation’ difficult to access. They look at how an activity, or the physical or social environment it takes place in, can be modified or adapted to make things easier. Just as importantly, they will work in collaboration with the person receiving therapy and their support network to ensure a holistic approach is taken.
Some examples of how our Occupational Therapy team support students at Seashell…
A student who has muscle weakness in their hands, may struggle with basic hygiene activities. Their OT would provide therapeutic strengthening and coordination exercises to help hold a toothbrush, hairbrush, and clothing.
A student who struggles with noisy, crowded environments meaning they cannot take part in certain experiences. Their OT would work to help them manage the extra audio input and respond appropriately by using specialised sensory integration techniques.
We are very proud of our Occupational Therapy team at Seashell, who work hard to transform the lives of children and young adults with the most complex disabilities.
