It is Occupational Therapy Week!!
The age old question of what is an OT has had much written about but to keep it simple after 24 years of being an occupational therapist the easiest way is to ask you: Do you do activity? Is illness or disability preventing you from doing this activity on a regular basis? If you answered yes to both these questions then an OT can help you.
There are many different types of OT’s as there are many people doing different activities affected with many different types of illnesses and disabilities.
I focus on breathlessness and fatigue in pulmonary and cardiac conditions.
I have heard my patients blame old age when I first see them and then they always say “But I’m 80 something (or 90 something), it’s too late you can’t do anything for me”.
We start talking to find the root source of their breathlessness and I then assess their movements and breathing as they do a simple house chore. With my findings we begin to explore new ways for them to manage. They start to see how they can make things easier and keep doing the activities they find rewarding for longer than they anticipated.
I think that is priceless.