Occupational therapy is a type of physiotherapy. This is where human labor comes into play. The main task of occupational therapy is the rehabilitation of people who, due to any circumstances, have lost their opportunities, and their return to their former normal life.
In occupational therapy there is a great opportunity to broaden your horizons, expand your creativity and discover hidden possibilities. Very often, people who are passionate about something new during occupational therapy continue to do it for the rest of their lives. It becomes their main passion.
Next, the main types of occupational therapy will be described, as well as where and how it is applied. Occupational therapy is prescribed for various neurological, orthopedic, mental diseases. The most effective treatment with labor takes place in combination with massage and physiotherapy. It is equally important to know what applies to occupational therapy. But first things first.
What is the use of
The main benefit of occupational therapy is that a person graduallyreturns to normal life. This is due to the fact that during the labor process the patient is distracted from negative thoughts, gets rid of his fears, does not think about mental and physical pain. A person, being in a society of people with similar interests, ceases to feel inferior and isolated from society.
Occupational therapy is a treatment that helps restore mental, emotional and physical he alth. It brings a person into tone, adapts him to society and the world around him, makes him distract from negative thoughts.
For example, to adapt after a stroke, there is a gradual transition from special tools that make work easier to ordinary ones. To fix the limb, special fixing stands are used. To restore motor functions, patients exercise on special stands.
In this case, the benefit of occupational therapy is that physiotherapy helps to eliminate or reduce physical disabilities by strengthening muscles, increasing joint range of motion and improving coordination.
In the process of occupational therapy, a person has the opportunity to adapt socially in society, take care of himself, learn how to clean the house, cook food, take care of pets.
Basic forms of occupational therapy
There are several forms of occupational therapy:
- Production. With the help of such therapy, the patient is prepared for professional activity. A person learns to work on simulators, machines, that is, on those tools that are necessaryfor his area of work. The patient after rehabilitation can work in the same speci alty or, if desired, learn something new.
- Fortifying. This form of occupational therapy is used to maintain the ability to work when a person is sick for a long time. In the process of therapy, physical performance is restored and increased, the work of the musculoskeletal system is normalized.
- Restorative. This form of therapy is designed to restore skills that were lost during illness and prevent them from occurring in the future.
All labor operations can be divided into the following groups:
- Occupational therapy that develops coordination, trains fine motor skills of the hands, increases the sensitivity of the fingers.
- Occupational therapy that helps develop arm strength and endurance.
- Light mode occupational therapy includes making toys from foam rubber, cotton-gauze bandages.
Occupational Therapy in Psychiatry
Occupational therapy is used for mental disorders such as: alcoholism, depression, hallucinogenic syndrome, mental retardation, ASD, Down syndrome.
- Autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, mental retardation - in most cases, these are congenital diseases and it is not possible to completely recover from them. Occupational therapy is a prerequisite for the adaptation of people with mental disabilities in society. Such people are usually distinguished by their kindness and abilitywork, therefore, thanks to occupational therapy, they have the opportunity to live a full life and in no way feel infringed and isolated from society. Occupational therapy for the mentally ill should be mandatory.
- In the case of drug and alcohol addiction, occupational therapy helps patients to forget about their illness. If you correctly combine labor therapy, medications and the desire of the patient himself to recover from addiction, then after a while the dependence completely disappears, the person returns to a normal life in society.
- During depressive conditions, in addition to drug treatment and work with a psychotherapist, it is necessary to carry out occupational therapy when the patient can engage in the type of activity that is most interesting to him. Thus, everyone can find their niche and completely dissolve in the work. Yes, some people are satisfied with their profession, they do what they love, but there are very few of them. Most are forced to engage in this or that activity only to earn money, and this does not bring proper self-satisfaction. So it turns out that a person, having worked in this way for several years, suddenly falls into depression, longingly reflecting on the frailty of existence. It also happens that at work everything is fine, but on the personal front there are continuous failures. The more a person thinks about it, the more frightening it becomes. Depression often occurs. Occupational therapy will help get rid of unnecessary thoughts, there simply will not be time for them. Depression will help to remove the rest onsea or travel to the mountains. And it’s not even necessary to go somewhere to the resort, sometimes it’s enough just to go out of town with a tent.
- Motor retardation. So that a person does not feel inferior, a work partner should be a person who is not much superior to him in his abilities, or a labor instructor. Method of working trials: the instructor works with the patient for some time, highlights the patient's characteristic rhythm, pace of movements, his work style, characteristic shortcomings, and more.
When working with patients with a hallucinogenic syndrome, it is important to ensure that the patient is fully involved in the labor process, since only in this way can hallucinations be avoided.
Occupational therapy also gives excellent results in case of neurological diseases: it restores speech, eliminates residual effects after paresis and paralysis.
The occupational therapy program for patients undergoing treatment in a hospital should be selected individually by the attending physician. It is important to take into account the patient's professional skills, age and preferences.
Contraindications for the use of occupational therapy in psychiatry
Like any other method of treatment, occupational therapy has some contraindications. It is absolutely contraindicated in acute painful conditions, pathology of consciousness, catatonia. Occupational therapy is temporarily contraindicated in case of active drug treatment, severe depressive and asthenic conditions, if the patient has negativism to work.
Gamingtherapy
This type of treatment involves the involvement of the patient in all kinds of games, except for gambling. The task of the organizer is to attract as many participants as possible to the gameplay. With the help of play therapy, the patient can overcome his stiffness, shyness and become more sociable.
Ergotherapy
The method is to treat the patient through mechanical labor. Occupational therapy for the elderly and disabled consists of teaching embroidery, sewing, knitting and other skills. In some cases, occupational therapy can also be used in light industry factories, where the patient can work daily and gradually restore his strength.
Younger patients after restorative occupational therapy in any plant or factory can stay there to work. Often this is a production for the manufacture of items from wood, dishes, clothes and toys.
Ergotherapy after a stroke is no less popular, but it is slightly different from the usual one. This is due to the fact that after a stroke, many people have impaired coordination of movements and fine motor skills. Therefore, such patients need to be taught everything anew, in connection with which such occupational therapy classes often resemble lessons in kindergarten. Patients are taught to dress properly, fasten and unfasten buttons, lace up shoes, draw, sculpt from plasticine, and glue applications. As the patient acquires skills, the number and complexity of the functions performed increases. During occupational therapyAfter a stroke, it is important to remember that you should not expect a quick result. This is a long and difficult process. But, as they say, patience and work will grind everything.
Art Therapy
This therapy is the treatment of the patient through art. Patients are engaged in painting, modeling, pottery, participate in simple theatrical performances.
One of the subtypes of art therapy is cultural therapy. The patient can attend cultural events, exhibitions, read books, view reproductions and listen to music. All this contributes to a speedy recovery and the return of the patient to an active life. After the end of each activity, the patient shares his impressions about what interested him most in this or that type of activity.
Gardenotherapy
The essence of this therapy is to grow flowers, care for the garden and houseplants. While working with the earth, a person becomes more attentive, responsibility for one's actions appears.
Sport Therapy
Sports physical therapy is physical exercise, including daily morning exercises, group sports games and activities, outdoor exercises, yoga, swimming. In sports occupational therapy, it is important to remember that the type of physical activity is determined by the doctor, therefore, in order to avoid any unpleasant consequences, in no caseyou can not deviate from the established framework.
Rehabilitation Therapy
One of the most common methods for people who have suffered a stroke or injury is occupational therapy as a means of rehabilitation. That is, restorative therapy, which helps to return the patient's motor functions to normal.
In most cases, such therapy takes quite a long time, as the patient is taught everything anew, virtually from scratch. But patience and work will grind everything, therefore, working in harmony with his mentor, the patient will soon be able to restore all motor functions.
Load Dosing in Occupational Therapy
The recommended time to start occupational therapy is the start of the recovery period. The dosage of loads during occupational therapy is established and regulated by the doctor. Under no circumstances should you reduce or increase the load on your own. The dosage is set based on the patient's condition, the severity of the disease and complications, as well as on what and in what quantity there are functional disorders.
To achieve positive results, work therapy should be combined with treatment, massage, physical education. It has been proven that complex treatment has a more positive effect. The occupational therapy procedure is carried out every day or every other day and lasts from half an hour to forty-five minutes. Developing a stereotype of working movements, they adhere to certain rules: bring to the patient all the necessary working movements, introduce them to the technique of performing manipulations. Multiplerepetition brings all movements to automatism, so the necessary labor skill is acquired.
Occupational therapy is a great way to prevent various pathologies. Physical activities are perfect for people who are engaged in mental work, that is, lead a sedentary lifestyle. In any case, an individual approach is needed, because any work should bring a sense of self-satisfaction. The doctor must take into account the gender, age, professional activity of the patient, the type of disease.
Work must bear fruit, that is, the patient must see the results of his activities. A person can find his unique way of occupational therapy and lose himself in the activity. And if one activity did not help, then you should not worry about this, you should definitely try something else.
Any type of occupational therapy should be carried out under the supervision of medical personnel, since if the load is not properly distributed, the effect of such therapy can be just the opposite. In addition, during therapy, safety precautions must be observed in order to avoid any surprises that could lead to unpleasant consequences.
