The 7 Areas of Occupational Therapy Designed to Help You Live More of Life
Occupational therapy is a well-established and evidence-based holistic therapy which has been helping patients for well over a century. Although it has been a recommended practice for patients for decades, many people still aren’t fully aware of its key components or occupational therapy’s benefits.
One of the main goals of occupational therapy focuses on giving patients the tools they need to lead full, satisfying lives with as much independence as possible. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has developed an occupational therapy practice framework which exemplifies the areas therapy works toward improving. By pulling from a variety of different fields of study, from physical therapy and nursing care to engineering and social work, occupational therapy is firmly centered in the real world experiences of patients and how those individual moments can be made more accessible and adaptable for patients with an array of physical, cognitive, and behavioral challenges.
Here at Oakland Spine and Physical Therapy we provide occupational therapy services at our Clifton, New Jersey location. Our five locations throughout North Jersey are located in Oakland, Wayne, Fair Lawn, Clifton, and Closter. Each offers a variety of holistic, natural therapies that provide relief from chronic pain and other conditions from sports injuries to asthma. While our main focus is to improve your condition through non-invasive drug-free therapies such as chiropractic, acupuncture, physical therapy, and deep laser treatments, occupational therapy plays a key role in helping you live your best life while you’re still experiencing symptoms.
By learning more about the seven key areas of focus for occupational therapy, you’ll have a better understanding of the ways this therapy helps and how it could benefit you in your everyday life.
Explore the 7 Areas of Focus of Occupational Therapy
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
A major focus of occupational therapy are the everyday activities of daily life. There’s a good reason for that. For able-bodied people, brushing your teeth, grooming your hair, bathing, and dressing are tasks that get completed quickly without much thought. But for many patients these simple chores can put a roadblock into their day.
Occupational therapists address all of these essential self-care tasks like bathing, dressing, eating, grooming, toileting, and mobility. Patients recovering from strokes, spinal cord injuries, arthritis, neurological disorders, or post-surgical limitations (to name a few) often struggle with these daily functions.
Your occupational therapist will assess your specific challenges and introduce adaptive techniques and tools, like button hooks for dressing, shower chairs for bathing, and weighted utensils for eating. Sessions focus on building strength, improving coordination, and developing compensatory strategies to help you regain independence and navigate daily routines with confidence and ease.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
Of course life isn’t just about simple chores, we all have more complex tasks to add to our to-do list each day. IADLs involve managing daily life tasks like cooking, cleaning, shopping, handling finances, and using transportation. As you can see, these tasks are slightly more physically demanding and are essentials for independent living. They can be especially challenging for individuals with neurological conditions, cognitive impairments, arthritis, or post-injury limitations.
Here your occupational therapist will develop step-by-step strategies (like memory aids) and adaptive tools (such as one-handed meal prep tools, voice-assisted bill reminders, and ergonomic cleaning equipment) to maintain greater independence. In your appointments you’ll practice real-world tasks, improving problem-solving, and building confidence to maintain self-sufficiency and a higher quality of life.
Rest & Sleep
We all know how important sleep is to overall health. For someone working to heal from a condition or improve their quality of life amidst the challenges of a chronic condition, quality sleep and proper rest is even more of a priority.
Quality sleep is essential for physical healing, mental clarity, and overall well-being, yet many patients struggle with insomnia due to the disruptive effects of chronic pain, anxiety, or neurological conditions.
A comprehensive assessment which examines your individual sleep barriers can be used by an occupational therapist to develop personalized strategies to improve your sleep hygiene. Some strategies patients find helpful include establishing bedtime routines, reducing sensory distractions, and using relaxation techniques like guided breathing or weighted blankets. Your therapist might also recommend adaptive tools like ergonomic pillows and mattress adjustments to reduce discomfort and help achieve deeper, more restorative sleep that will contribute to improving energy levels and overall daily function.
Work
Being able to maintain a career can provide both financial security and a feeling of fulfillment and contribution. While conditions may limit some career possibilities, occupational therapy works to help individuals return to or maintain employment by addressing physical, cognitive, and environmental challenges in the workplace.
By learning ergonomic strategies and how to use adaptive tools and modified workflows, you can overcome the obstacles that injuries, chronic pain, or a long-term condition can create. Your occupational sessions will include workplace adaptations, such as posture correction, hand-strengthening exercises, or assistive technology to improve efficiency and prevent re-injury. By tailoring strategies to job demands, your therapist will help you stay productive while reducing your levels of discomfort.
Education
Similar to the adaptive strategies used for work, occupational therapy can help students of all ages maintain their pace of studies and not get sidetracked by their physical or cognitive limitations. For younger students, occupational therapy may focus more on rudimentary skills and the issues surrounding them, such as handwriting difficulties, sensory processing challenges, and executive functioning deficits. To assist with behavioral challenges, occupational therapists can provide your child with tools for stress management and self-regulation techniques that can help improve classroom engagement.
Play & Leisure
Life isn’t just about work and school. It’s also important to have the ability to indulge in your favorite hobbies and activities. Which is why the field of occupational therapy makes it a point to include this as one of their points of focus. From sports to the arts, it’s important for individuals to have the opportunity to reconnect with their favorite pursuits.
Your occupational therapist can help by introducing you to adaptive equipment, modified techniques, or structured routines to make recreation accessible. For instance, grip supports can make painting possible, balance training may improve sports capabilities, and sensory-friendly activities can provide much needed relaxation. Your occupational therapist will make it a point to give time to understanding your interests and finding practical ways that allow you to keep enjoying those activities.
Social Participation
Pain and other conditions can isolate patients, which can lead to depression as well as diminished health outcomes. The field of occupational therapy understands how important social bonds are to a patient’s well-being. Since social connections are essential for mental health, occupational therapists work with patients to develop communication skills and help build confidence by creating strategies for engaging in community, family, and peer relationships. You can expect to work on developing skills and strategies for one-on-one and group relationships and train in the strategies to help facilitate meaningful relationships with your loved ones and greater social circle.
The Best Occupational Therapy in North Jersey Cares for the Whole Patient
At Oakland Spine and Physical Therapy our experienced and passionate occupational therapists believe in treating you as a whole person, not just a physical symptom or limitation. We’ll take into account the numerous facets of your life using the Occupational Therapy Framework to cover your biggest priorities from all of your everyday tasks in life to helping you find ways to socialize and have a career and hobbies.
You deserve a rewarding life that gives you security, independence and empowerment. With our team by your side providing the solutions and strategies customized to your unique needs, you’ll be able to live your best life. Take the first step to taking your life back. Schedule a consultation today.
