What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is a rehabilitation specialty in which professionals help people do the "job of living" at any particular time in their life.

Using clinically proven therapeutic techniques and creative problem solving, occupational therapists:

• help people regain and maintain independence in their activities of daily living
• teach clients adaptive strategies and routines to compensate for loss of function
• provide adaptive equipment and assistive technologies to improve participation in chosen activities

Occupational therapists must pass national boards and maintain their certification through participation in rigorous continuing education on a state and national level.

What are Activities of Daily Living (ADL)?

Basic activities of daily living (ADL) are the routines we typically do every day to care for our bodies, i.e. bathing, dressing, eating, personal hygiene and grooming, and moving about the environment.

Another category is IADL or instrumental activities of daily living which include more complex activities such as doing laundry, cooking, shopping, using communication devices, mobility in the community, management of finances, caring for pets, and managing a household.

What are Adaptive Equipment and Assistive Technologies?

Adaptive equipment usually refers to devices that provide an adaptation to the environment, such as grab bars in a bathroom. It can also refer to a piece of equipment that makes an activity easier to perform, such as reachers or dressing aids.

Assistive technology refers to items that are a bit more complicated and may require some training or instruction. These would include computers, remotely controlled devices, and mobility or communication devices.