The Pros And Cons Of Occupational Therapy

1708 Words7 Pages

“What are some of your goals?”

This is one of the first questions I ask my patients in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and within their homes. Pretty much any rehabilitation therapist (RT) around the world can presume the most common answer to this question, and probably recite it alongside our patients in three-part harmony. Nevertheless, as occupational therapists (OTs), we ask it anyway and wait for the common refrain.

Shutterstock image = 286990916 or = 704565568 alt tag: occupational therapist walking with geriatric patient caption: When it comes to patient ambulation, physical therapists are not the only ones that help patients meet their walking goals.

“To walk again” is the goal we hear most often, sometimes with the caveat of “I only want to work on walking!” Sometimes I even get a few patients who will boldly declaim, “I know what occupational therapy is, and I don’t need occupational therapy, I only need physical therapy, because all I want to do is walk!”

Often these same patients have been referred to skilled occupational therapy services following a fall. Sometimes the fall caused injury, and sometimes that injury is even in an upper extremity, which was used to break the fall. I have found that the best course of action is to assure them that their number one goal of walking is my number one goal for them too, and I have no …show more content…

The example was one that I often use with my homecare clients who wish to walk within their neighborhoods and is that of crossing a street in time before the traffic lights change. A thorough evaluation of a patient living within the community will involve assessing for general mobility as well as their ability to adjust walking speed according to environmental