What Is Occupational Therapy?

Potential Fallbacks

The success of occupational therapy depends on the patient's overall physical and mental health. Some patients may begin a series of occupational therapy sessions they are unable to finish due to health complications, and occupational therapy might not be effective for every patient. If the patient is not suitable for occupational therapy services, doctors might choose to have the patient continue with physical therapy or speech therapy for longer to build their strength and functional skills in these areas. The patient could then be re-evaluated to see if occupational therapy would be appropriate at a later time. Patients who do not have occupational therapy may need to have in-home health services and caregivers as a fallback, and they might not be able to be as independent as those who have had occupational therapy.

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Where Occupational Therapists Work

Occupational therapists work in a variety of settings depending on their training and specialization. Some occupational therapists may work only with adults, and others may specialize in working with children. Occupational therapists often work in nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and physician's offices, and they may also provide occupational therapy services in patient's homes. Recent statistics show twenty-seven percent of occupational therapists work in state, local, or private hospitals, and twenty-six percent of occupational therapists work in clinics with physical therapists, speech therapists, and audiologists. An estimated eighteen percent of occupational therapists work in skilled nursing facilities or home healthcare services, and roughly eleven percent of these professionals are employed in elementary or secondary schools. Occupational therapists can specialize in more than twenty areas. For example, some therapists may specialize in mental health, physical rehabilitation, or environmental modification. Other occupational therapists opt to specialize in helping those with low vision or with swallowing issues, and some choose to become certified hand therapists.

Uncover the history of occupational therapy next.