What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is traditionally a health profession which has at its focus the goal of helping individuals achieve independence in all facets of their lives. This may be accomplished through direct or indirect client care, such as in a hospital, private clinic, or rehabilitation setting. This may also be accomplished on a broader scale through work in community organizations, private businesses, government agencies, or in the development of programs and systems which enable the public to perform their desired activities. Overall, occupational therapy aims to provide individuals with "skills for the job of living" needed for leading independent and satisfying lives.

Occupational Therapists generally assess a person's functional abilities in consideration of their physicial, cognitive, emotional, social and environmental limitations and strengths. Analysis of activities and the factors impacting one's ability to perform a desired activity is a critical element of this process.

Services typically include:

Customized treatment programs aimed at improving abilities to carry out the activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, feeding oneself, home making, leisure activities);
Comprehensive evaluation of home and job environments and recommendations for adaptations to improve abilities and/or reduce the risk of injury;
Assessment and treatment for performance skills (those skills/compoments required to perform activities);
Prescription and education in the use of adaptive equipment or aids;
Liasing with other health professionals, community agencies, family members and caregivers.

Occupational Therapists may also provide consultation services to organizations and companies in developing programs (such as return to work or barrier free design programs); and use their professional skills and experience in leadership roles, such as a coordinator of community health organization. The diversity of this profession continues to expand with occupational therapists frequently working in less traditional hospital-based health care roles.

What are the qualifications of occupational therapists?

Occupational therapists are health professionals who are university-trained and who have completed a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised fieldwork experience. Depending on the province, occupational therapists may be required to pass a national certification examination before they are eligible to practise.

In the province of Nova Scotia, a qualified occupational therapist must be registered with the provincial regulatory body, COTNS.

Where do occupational therapists work?

Occupational therapists work in a wide variety of settings including:

Facilities such as hospitals, rehabilitation centres, private clinics, nursing homes and mental health centres.
Community organizations such as schools, health boards, community health centres, community action groups, worker's compensation boards and government agencies.
Businesses such as insurance companies, construction and architectural firms, occupational health departments, large industries and vocational rehabilitation companies.

Working one on one with an Occupational therapist, you may:

Learn new ways of doing things; for example how to dress or cook when limited to the use one arm, develop strategies for day to day living with cognitive impairments.
Do activities to help you maintain or improve your abilities; for example increase your strength, fine motor skills, or activity tolerance.
Have tools and materials adapted to allow you to perform a desired activity; for example custom prescribed wheelchairs, adaptive feeding aids; ergonomic workstations.
Make changes to the environment where you do your work or activities; for example change the layout of your home or office to make it more accessible for you or to prevent further injury.
Develop new skills, abilities and interests in work and leisure time; for example pain management strategies, or job readiness programs.

Who covers the cost of occupational therapy?

In the province of Nova Scotia you do not require a referral from a physician to be assessed or treated by an Occupational Therapist, however, your family doctor can refer you to an occupational therapist whose services are covered under your provincial medical plan.

If you have private health insurance, check with your insurance company to see if it offers occupational therapy as an extended health care benefit. If you would like to have occupational therapy included as part of your insurance benefit plan, you may wish to write to your insurance company or speak to the people, at your place of work, who are in charge of arranging and/or negotiating the extended health benefit packages.

Occupational Therapy services may be covered by Worker's Compensation and auto insurance plans - check with your provider.

Your employer may cover the cost of an ergonomic assessment or jobsite analysis, by an Occupational Therapist, as a means of identifying risks for workrelated injuries and/or proposing modifications to your worksite to enhance work safety and productivity.

As well, there are many self-employed occupational therapists who can offer you competitive rates for their services. To find a self-employed occupational therapist, check the yellow pages of your local telephone directory.

For more information visit

www.OTworks.ca

Canada's occupational therapy resource website

If you have any questions or comments, you may contact us by phone: (902) 455-0556

or via e-mail: admin@cotns.ca