Being able to do everyday tasks may seem insignificant to a lot of us. But if you or your loved one is struggling with small, even effortless tasks such as putting on clothes in the morning, you know that's not meaningless at all. An inability to do simple activities, especially the ones you enjoy, can be very devastating and can lead to poor mental health. Keep reading to find out what benefits occupational therapy can have for a person's well-being.
Depression & Anxiety
A known fact about people who struggle with depression is that they typically don't have energy or motivation to participate in the things that are important to them. Children with depression usually have a problem with anger management, while adults often develop a serious case of anxiety. The most common symptoms are minimum or none engagement in society, not taking care of personal life and mental wellbeing, negligence of work and everyday activities, etc. Occupational Therapy can be very helpful in this situation. OT practitioners aim to examine life roles that are important for people who suffer from depression (spouse, student, friend, etc.), connect them with responsibilities they come with and explain the positive and rewarding outcome of the met responsibilities. This type of therapy will regive people meaning to roles and tasks that are important to them.
Brain Injury, Alzheimer's & Dementia
Recovering from a brain injury or suffering from Alzheimer's and Dementia is often hard and frustrating for both you and the people around you. Struggling with this type of conditions means you either have to learn certain cognitive or motor skills again (e.g. if you had a stroke and lost the ability to talk) or you're repeatedly forgetting things you already know. In OT patients are given different exercises that are excellent for forming pathways between limbs and brain. This means they can regain control over their everyday tasks. When it comes to Alzheimer's and Dementia patients, these exercises are known to help them remember things by forming mental connections.
ADHD
Unfortunately, a lot of parents with children who have ADHD think they will outgrow it and that this condition doesn't need to be treated at all. Well, they could not be more wrong. If not treated properly, ADHD can cause a lot of problems in adulthood. That's why Occupational Therapy can be very beneficial to your child's development. Since children with ADHD have difficulty prioritizing or switching attention and are easily getting distracted, the OT offers different sets of exercises that can help these children with organisation and planning, sensory processing difficulties, fine and gross motor skills, developing independence in everyday skills, etc. This is where occupational therapy (OT) comes into play. It is defined as the therapeutic treatment for people to develop, recover, or maintain everyday skills. OT helps people with physical, sensory and cognitive problems and is suited for children and adults. The main goal of occupational therapists is to reinforce the patient's independence and self-esteem.
Autism
When it comes to children with Autism their biggest obstacle is communicating and interacting with people around them. In this case, the occupational therapist's goal is to get to know the environment of the child and adapt it to his needs. The therapist has to cooperate with the child's parents and teachers so he can develop exercises specifically designed for the child he's helping. The purpose of these exercises is to increase the child's play skills, response to stimuli, attention span and better the interaction between them and others.
Down's Syndrome
As the main goal of OT is supporting people to engage in daily tasks across all aspects of life, it's not surprising this treatment is suitable for children with Down's Syndrome. In this kind of therapy, children can learn handwriting, drawing, playing an instrument, or can engage in a certain sports activity. These skills are beneficial for both their independence and self-esteem. It's extremely important for them to have constant support in everything they do so they can be the best version of themselves. Occupational Therapy is all about improving a patient's self-care and increasing their leisure activities and productivity. Maximising a person's independence and helping them live their life to the fullest. With the right set of exercises and support of the loved ones, everything's possible. OT is teaching us that even the most meaningless daily tasks are important and significant. Every victory counts, even if for you that's putting on your clothes for the first time in forever. What are your thoughts about Occupational Therapy? Let us know in the comment section below!
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