What is Occupational Therapy, and what can an Occupational Therapist-Case Manager like Allie Hafez do for you or your loved one?
Occupational Therapists (OTs) are skilled professionals who have completed at least four years of university-level education and training to help people
identify aspects of their lives and functional abilities that need improvement,
set goals for change, and
develop strategies to achieve the goals.
Although Occupational Therapists are most frequently associated with medical conditions that require some sort of rehabilitation, they focus on what a person is currently able to do, and how to use the existing skills to re-build familiar abilities, and/or develop new ones, according to each person's values and priorities for health, wellness and quality of life.
Researchers at the University of Southern California demonstrated in the
Well-Elderly Study and a follow-up study that Occupational Therapists can help elderly people with no significant health or medical issues improve their wellness and quality of life.
Occupational Therapy is concerned with how people occupy themselves throughout their lives, and what each type of occupation means to each person: that is, which roles and activities make life most meaningful and purposeful to individuals. Therefore, a core philosophy of Occupational Therapy is that people can use occupations not only to achieve and maintain good health and wellness, but also to prevent illness, disease or injury; or to manage disabling and/or chronic medical conditions effectively enough to have a good quality of life. There are plenty of people with healthy and richly satisfying lives in spite of situations that make them seem "ill" or "disabled" to the general public. An Occupational Therapist can be an integral part of a person's efforts to avoid becoming "disabled".
Occupational Therapy emphasizes independence in life, however that concept is defined by the person the Occupational Therapist is serving. For some people, having other people do certain things for them is OK if that means they can do other, more important things that help them remain involved with their families and communities (which can include paid and volunteer jobs). An Occupational Therapist can help individuals, their families and their caregivers determine what each needs to do to help the person maintain a satisfying level of occupation/involvement.
An Occupational Therapist who is providing such holistic, person-centered services is often also providing case management services in order to help the clients identify, access and effectively use resources that can help them achieve their goals. Therefore, anyone considering or being offered case management services for herself or a family member will receive uniquely effective and broad-ranging services when the case manager is also an Occupational Therapist. If the Occupational Therapist Case Manager holds one or more case management certifications in addition to his/her Occupational Therapy certification and license, the people receiving the services will have the additional assurance of the Occupational Therapist Case Manager's knowledge, skills and adherence to codes of professional conduct.
For more information about Occupational Therapy, visit the website of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).
