Occupational Therapy

While the primary focus of Physical Therapy is movement, Occupational Therapy focuses on function.

Although both Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy are vital to quality of life improvements, Physical Therapy deals with overall motor function, pain, strength, range of motion, and endurance. Occupational Therapy works more with cognitive skills, visual-perceptual skills, fine motor skills, sensory-processing deficits and adaptive strategies to increase functional independence.

Your occupation is how you “occupy” your time. The Occupational Therapy Team at Samaritan Hospital believes in living life to its fullest and helps each patient tackle anything that stands in the way of doing just that.

Everything that occupied our time in one way or another can be categorized under self-care, work, or leisure.

• Self-care consists of the things one does to care for themselves. This includes bathing/showering, getting dressed, eating, sleeping, using the restroom, brushing their teeth, etc.
• Work is something we do outside of self-care that requires the exertion of effort in order to accomplish.
• Leisure is when we do something “just for the fun of it.”

When illness or injury impedes our ability to do these things, our quality of life diminishes quickly. Occupational Therapists help patients regain skills allowing them to function in life as well as help patients adapt their surroundings and way of doing things to allow freedom.

Since each person is different, the possibilities are endless when it comes to Occupational Therapy. Treatment is determined entirely by each patient’s abilities, interests, education, and background.

Occupational Therapists can:

• Recommend home renovations, modifications, and/or devices to ensure safety and ease of function.
• Customize medical equipment to meet individual need.
• Alter tools and work stations to improve safety and efficiency.
• Modify recreational activities to allow participation.
• Teach new skills or relearn old skills for possibilities such as a career, living at home, and getting about the community.
• Improve reasoning skills to approach problems logically, use leisure time constructively, and understand rules and standards.
• Improve communication and assertiveness skills.
• Develop muscle strength.
• Develop range of motion.
• Develop fine motor skills.
• Address eye-hand coordination.
• Promote behavioral changes.
• Manage chronic pain
• Restore or improve physical abilities
• ETC!

Occupational Therapy is beneficial to the entire age spectrum for work-related injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, sports injuries and orthopedic problems, developmental disabilities such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and mental retardation, stroke, arthritis, cancer, or other serious illnesses, neurological problems such as multiple sclerosis, aging, accidental injury, etc.

Phone: 660-385-8739