Home is where OT is

When people think of occupational therapists they think that we do what physical therapists do. They think we can only work in settings such as hospitals or schools. They think that we just play with puzzles and swings all day. They think that our job is to help people find jobs (which is technically along the lines of something that is in our scope of practice, but that's a story for another day).

What people don't know about occupational therapists is that we can work in a wide range of settings and fields, including the not so typical ones. Some common fields include acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, mental health, neuro, home health and hand therapy. The not so typical settings that we're able to work in include the community-based settings and even in home design.

Before diving deeper into how occupational therapists can play an integral role in home design, it's important to discuss what it is an occupational therapist is and what it is that we do.

Let's break it down:

• Oc.cu.pa.tion (noun):

• 1. an activity that occupies someones time

• 2. the daily activities in which an individual engages and finds meaning in

  • E.g. showering, socializing, running, cooking, hiking, dressing, etc.

• Ther.a.pist: an individual specializing in the therapeutic medical treatment of impairment, injury, disease, or disorder

When you combine the two words, an occupational therapist focuses on enabling an individual to engage in their desired occupations.

"Occupations help us to express ourselves and engage in the occupation of living."

Occupational therapists look at five domains which helps to contribute to the intervention of an individual which include (1) occupations, (2) performance patterns, (3) performance skills, (4) environment and context, and (5) client factors. Knowing a little bit about what we look at when working with an individual, the different settings that we can work in, and how we work to help individuals engage in their desired daily occupations, one might be able to see how OTs add value, and meaning, and life to days.

In 2019, we experienced and lived through the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic caused people to fear the world outside of their own little bubble of the place they called home. For many, this meant that they had to rely on everything they had at home. This also meant that they had limited access to getting the appropriate care, tools, and supplies needed to be able to engage in their daily occupations. I know this because my grandma was one of these individuals. My grandma has been battling with a brain tumor and Alzheimer's for the past five years. Due to her pre-existing medical conditions she feared leaving her house so that's exactly what she didn't do - she stayed locked in her 900sq ft home wondering what was yet to come. Days, weeks, and months passed and nothing changed except the world seemed a bit scarier with each passing day. One day she was trying to navigate her way around her house when she lost her balance and fell and was rushed to the hospital. For months she already feared leaving the house, but here she was now in the hospital, where there were nurses and patients who have been around COVID-19. There went her fear in one quick instance because of one incident that could have easily been prevented.

Now this made me think... what could've been prevented in order to save her from facing one of her greatest fears. If her home was equipped with the equipment she needed this could have been prevented. But how does one know what someone needs when it comes to their home? I have just the right person for this... occupational therapist!

Since occupational therapists look at client factors, performance patterns, and performance skills, they could use these to make necessary and appropriate modifications as needed. Occupational therapist help individuals function in their home environment despite any limitations, injuries, and disability.

When working in a non-traditional setting, such as home design, occupational therapist can play an integral role in the set up of the home environment so that it can be equipped for when a life-changing event such as the COVID-19 Pandemic occurs again.

In the next few blog posts we will discuss more in depth of the OT role in relation to the physical environment and home design.