What is an Occupational Therapist and How Can They Help Me?

Many people can benefit from the work of occupational therapists and they can help you greatly improve your day-to-day life. If you have been referred to an occupational therapist by your GP, you may be wondering what they do and how they are going to benefit you. Here we’ll discuss what these healthcare professionals do and how this may help improve your quality of life.

What is an occupational therapist?

The term ‘occupation’ refers to practical and purposeful activities that allow people to live independently and have a sense of identity. An occupational therapist will provide support to empower you to facilitate recovery and overcome barriers that prevent you from doing the things that matter to you. This is a vital aspect of ensuring your independence and helping you live a full and exciting life that isn’t inhibited by sickness, disease or ageing.

What does an occupational therapist do?

If an occupational therapist visits you, they will be there to assess the different ways your life could be improved by helping you overcome the effects of different types of disability. They help people of all ages and work with a wide range of conditions and a variety of settings including health organisations, social care services, housing, education, voluntary organisations or as independent practitioners.

They will consider all of your needs including physical, psychological, social and environmental to offer an improved quality of life. They are there to give a renewed sense of purpose, open up new horizons and change the way you feel about the future.

How will an occupational therapist help me?

An occupational therapist will do what they can to help you continue doing the daily activities that maintain your health and wellbeing and the things that are important to you. They may assist you in the following ways:

• Socialising – They will understand the difficulties of life as you get older and work with you to find ways of having more social contact. They can also develop strategies to increase your confidence when meeting new people.
• Home modifications – They can recommend equipment that can make you feel more confident moving around your home. This may include stairlifts, walking sticks/frames, personal alarm services and walk-in baths.
• Memory rehabilitation – They may evaluate your cognitive abilities to assess areas of strength and weakness and help you regain your memory skills.
• Aid vision loss – They may assist you by removing clutter, using colour-coded tags and adding more lighting to increase safety around your home.

Occupational therapists can provide a whole range of services that can improve your daily life and can truly benefit you in the long and short term.

Alfix provides and installs stairlifts to help you regain your confidence and feel more at ease in your home. If you’ve been recommended to install a stairlift, get in touch with us today. We can offer you the guidance you need to find the ideal stairlift.