What Are The Potential Benefits Of Occupational Therapy?

The aging process may not only be difficult for those facing it but is equally confusing for people around them. When elders find it difficult to do simple, everyday tasks that were once easy to do, they may find it confusing, embarrassing, and frustrating, leaving those around them confused as they don’t know how to help in the first place. 

Luckily, you may help your parent/s to gain more control over their life through occupational therapy. Occupational therapy is a holistic way of helping people from all stages of life to develop, maintain, and recover the skills they require to carry out their everyday tasks. 

An occupational therapist helps anyone who wants to achieve a better quality of life. This is achieved by teaching patients how to carry out their daily chores and how to physically take care of themselves. While occupational therapy is most often used by the elderly, it’s also known to benefit individuals of any age who feel that they need special assistance with their daily activities, especially those that suffer from Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the potential benefits of occupational therapy. 

1. Helps Regain An Individual’s Independence 

Everyone wants to take care of themselves. Since occupational therapy focuses on improving a person’s self-care skills, it helps patients overcome the struggles of daily life that they may face due to their inability to do simple tasks. When someone can’t perform simple tasks, participating in other aspects of a healthy life, like social gatherings, walking, and outings, will often become exhausting, which will then lead to feelings of isolation. That’s why occupational therapy is essential for them. 

Occupational therapists work with their clients to help regain the ability to perform certain everyday tasks, such as dressing, bathing, and cooking. Many of these tasks may seem simple, but they become increasingly difficult as an individual gets older or has any form of mental hindrance.

Occupational therapists ensure that the individual is able to perform certain tasks alone at home, such as dressing, brushing teeth, dressing, cooking, and washing hands.

2. Prevents Falls

Though falls may seem like a minor issue, it can be extremely dangerous for the elderly. The prevalence of falls is very common amongst the elderly and often leads to several medical complications. However, occupational therapists are trained to teach their patients about fall prevention. The balancing and muscle strengthening exercises taught to the elderly also helps them keep their bodies strong and maintain a good balance for years to come. 

In occupational therapy, the therapists analyze the movement and cognitive requirements for daily tasks. Based on this, they design and implement activities that help build the individual’s current abilities. 

3. Improves Cognition And Memory 

While occupational therapy is often associated with improving physical ability, it also plays a crucial role in improving a patient’s cognitive skills and memory. When occupational therapists first meet with their patients, they won’t only evaluate their physical abilities but also access their cognitive strengths and weaknesses. This helps them develop a holistic plan that involves both physical and mental well-being. 

When it comes to cognition and memory, occupational therapists address cognition based on functional requirements. For example, cognitive skills that are required to carry out day-to-day tasks, like paying bills, ordering online, or organizing a daily calendar, are looked into. Through these activities, occupational therapists focus on skills like organization, attention problem solving, and reasoning. Practicing these skills helps their patients improve their cognitive abilities and memory, providing them the ability to function properly on a day-to-day basis. 

4. Address Vision Related Issues 

Many people face some form of vision reducing diseases as they grow old. Elder patients who suffer from vision loss or impairment often have a problem carrying out their daily tasks as well. However, occupational therapy may help them improve their vision and increase their visual awareness through specific activities and lifestyle changes.

Occupational therapists often suggest simple home or workplace changes to their patients so that the impact of vision loss on their daily life can be reduced. 

Conclusion

As you age, a majority of the life changes that you go through may be tough and can take its toll on your overall well-being. From life transitions, like retirement, to losing the ability to take care of yourself, most of these changes can lead to isolation and depression. This is where occupational therapy is important. However, occupational therapy isn’t only for the elderly but for patients of any age who require help developing and maintaining their skills to carry out simple daily tasks.

In occupational therapy, the patients aren’t only taught to regain their skills required to carry out daily tasks, but they’re also taught some coping strategies and cognitive skills to help them lead a respectable and happy life.