Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy (OT) is a client-centered health profession that focus on promoting health and well-being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do. By modifying the occupation or the environment to better support people’s occupational engagement.

Occupational Therapist treat injured, ill, or disables patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.

Occupational therapy (OT) helps people of all ages who have physical, sensory, or cognitive problems. OT can help them regain independence in all areas of their lives. Occupational therapists help with barriers that affect a person’s emotional, social, and physical needs. To do this, they use everyday activities, exercises, and other therapies. OT helps kids play, improves their school performance, and aids their daily activities. It also boosts their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.

Occupational therapy is a practice that can assist older individuals with living a more comfortable and productive life. It majors in the areas that help enhance quality of life. They take in individuals with certain medical conditions and injuries, with the drive and ambition of giving comfort and professional assistance. OT teaches life skills, which helps overcome many obstacles in the latter phases of life journeys. It’s more of improving the self-reliance techniques devoid of the physical challenges.

In adults or elderly patients, OT can help them assimilate back into ordinary life after an illness or accident. An occupational therapist may facilitate lifestyle changes for patients with physiological, cognitive, sensory, or emotional impairments that impact their ability to conduct everyday tasks normally. Occupational therapists work with adults by offering worksite and home assessments, injury assessments, and training in safe work/home practices and are instrumental in helping adults return to work and engage in functional activities of daily living.

The HSA are very accommodating for adults who need occupational therapy. For elderly adults, an OT therapist can support families with adapting their home environment to prevent falls and facilitate activities of daily living (including cooking, toileting, bathing, etc.) through a comprehensive assessment and intervention process.

Occupational Therapists offer customized treatment programmes for all ages to improve one’s ability to execute daily activities, as well as performance skills assessments, adaptive equipment recommendations (and usage training) and guidance to family members and caregivers.  

Our team has advanced training in return-to-work assessments, outcomes-based rehabilitation, equipment provision, ergonomic supports and arislso trained in several modalities including kinesio taping. 

Specific assessments and treatments that are offered by the HSA occupational therapy team include:

• Equipment assessments and training
• Neuro rehabilitation
• Spinal Cord Injury rehabilitation
• Post-surgical rehabilitation of the hand
• Spinal cord injury rehabilitation
• Community reintegration for patients with fine motor, sensory motor or other impairments

In children, OT promotes and stimulates learning for those with learning difficulties or those recovering from illness or injury. It can also help to improve their academic focus and abilities. An occupational therapist may assess and construct a treatment plan based on the child’s physical skills (motor control, hand-to-eye coordination), functional skills (eating, writing, using the toilet) and their environment (how they use equipment and furniture).

Our paediatric OT team provides family centred, neurodiversity-affirming, evidence-based interventions for patients with a wide range of genetic, developmental, sensory and motor disorders. This includes expertise with premature infants, babies and toddlers with developmental delays, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), Learning Disabilities (Dyslexia, Dysgraphia etc.) and other complex medical conditions.

Our paediatric OT team has additional training in Neurodevelopmental Therapy (NDT), Prechtl’s General Movement Assessment, Handwriting Without Tears, Basic Splinting, Hand Splinting, Basic Wheelchair Assessments and Sensory Oral Sequential (SOS) Feeding

If you think that you or your family member may benefit from Occupational Therapy, contact someone from the HSA Occupational Team at 244-7675 or 244-2703

Neurological Rehabilitation Class

• Once per week
• Safety education
• Exercises for Neurological patients who have completed intensive rehab and require a maintenance programme to help prevent severe disability and maintain the patient’s functional independence.