Occupational Therapy

What Is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is skilled intervention that assists individuals in achieving independence in daily occupations such as self-care skills and leisure and work activities. Occupational therapy is about helping people do the day-to-day tasks that occupy their time, sustain themselves, and enable them to contribute to the wider community. When people have strokes, sustain injuries, or have chronic mental or physical health problems, occupational therapists help them engage in occupations or everyday activities that are personally meaningful, socially satisfying, and culturally relevant to facilitate restoration of function and independence.

Interventions used by occupational therapists to achieve greater independence by clients include rehabilitation of cognitive deficits (memory, attention, complex reasoning), motor function and strength, gross motor and fine motor skills, and sensory function (vision, visual perceptual functioning, perception of touch). Another important area of intervention is the use of environmental adaptations to maximize ability, such as modifying the environment for individuals with motor or cognitive limitations. The occupational therapist will also assess the need for the use of adaptive devices to complete daily activities.

All occupational therapists must graduate from an accredited program in occupational therapy and pass a national certification examination. Occupational therapists are trained to work closely with other members of the rehabilitation team to help the patient reach his or her goals.

Occupational Therapy Services at Castle Medical Center

Inpatient and outpatient occupational therapy at Castle includes:

  • Activities of daily living (ADLs) training
  • Functional transfer training (toilet, shower, and tub)
  • Bathroom durable medical equipment assessment and training
  • Upper extremity range of motion and strengthening
  • Upper extremity splint fabrication
  • Adaptive device instruction
  • Cognitive retraining
  • Visual assessment
  • Visual and visual perceptual assessment and retraining
  • Upper extremity function
  • Fine motor coordination
  • Caregiver training
  • Neuromuscular re-education.

If you have any questions or wish to know more about occupational therapy services offered at Castle Medical Center, please call us at (808) 263‑5303.