The beautiful thing about occupational therapy as a profession is its adaptability. It thrives in an environment that is multi-dimensional where the profession morphs according to the client. "Client-centered" and "top-down approach" are all key terms when describing OT. Instead of being a rigid process with little adaptation, the profession molds into the best fit for each specific client. Occupational therapists are more than just practitioners. In a way, OTs are detectives, teachers, and companions. One theory that capitalizes on the adaptability of OT is Frame of Reference (FoR). FoR implements the strengths of OT by allowing the practitioner's roles to adapt to each individual client. Using the client's FoR aids the therapist to develop an intervention that best suites his specific needs. This is where solving mysteries and applying reasoning to the situation is useful. Deducing the client's motivations and context are key in the development of the client's intervention. Now that detective strategies have been used to create an approach that best addresses the client's needs and wishes, the therapist must effectively train the client in the techniques involved. Teaching not only involves an ability to talk but also an ability to listen. The practitioner must be able to adapt the "lesson plan" (intervention) based on the progress of the student. Here is where supportive and motivational abilities are instrumental. Having the abilities to deduce the issue and formulate a plan is only a fraction of the therapy. Tied into this is an ability to provide the comfort to the client that his needs and wishes are truly of value to the practitioner. If the client cannot express himself, then the intervention will not allow optimal performance due to discomfort or an inability of the client to fully apply himself to the therapy. Ultimately, occupational therapists must allow for the client to have the final say and feel that his wishes are what is truly valued overall. This is effective occupational therapy. When I hear stories of OTs falling into a routine of the same treatment for the same symptoms, I think how this is a disservice to the basis of occupational therapy. We as practitioners have the capability to adapt and change the profession to each special case. This is something that should be exciting and encourage practitioners to always sharpen and adapt their practice.
If you have not read Kathy Ritchie's blog on her experience coping with her mother's declining health after her diagnosis in 2010 with frontotemporal dementia, you should! It is a riveting example of the difficulties encountered when a relative forgets those closest to their heart. Kathy talks about the shock of learning about her mother's diagnosis and the decline in her memory and outbursts in church. For Kathy, her mother's death in 2014 felt swift and yet drawn out. All she wanted for her mother was peace, but yet it was a hard realization to let go. In a sense, death was the right answer, because her mother was not the same person Kathy had known, yet Kathy talks about how she misses her previous mother. The mother that bore her. The mother that raised her. The mother that loved her. However, the loss of the mother she spent those four years feeding, bathing, and dressing was not difficult. After reading about the frustrations...
Wonderful post, Lauren! "Occupational therapists are more than just practitioners. In a way, OTs are detectives, teachers, and companions." Spot on!!
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