The role of occupational therapy in [insert your placement setting] [insert your name] Occupational Therapy Student [insert the name of your university]

Overview An explanation of occupational therapy The role of the occupational therapist The importance of occupation to health and well-being How occupational therapists work Plans for the placement

Occupational therapists are concerned with how people spend their time What you do to ‘occupy’ your time (your occupation) is fundamental to your health and well-being

Occupational therapists seek to understand… What people want to, need to, or are expected to do Why people do what they do Where people do what they do When people do what they do How people do what they do With whom people do what they do

The role of occupational therapy How people fill their time is what occupational therapists describe as ‘occupations’. This might be things like self-care (getting ready to go out, eating a meal, using the toilet), being productive (going to school, work or volunteering), and leisure (socialising with friends or doing hobbies). Occupational therapists help people who may need support and advice if they are not able to do occupations due to illness, disability, family circumstances, or as a result of changes in their lives as they get older.

The importance of occupation Occupation should be considered a basic need and human right, like eating, drinking and breathing (Dunton 1919). There is a renewed understanding of how engagement in occupation is therapy and fundamental to health and well-being (Wilcock 2006). The focus of the practitioner in any setting, with any service user group is to maximise occupational performance and participation (World Federation of Occupational Therapists 2012). Royal College of Occupational Therapists (2017). Available at: www.rcot.co.uk

Care home setting For example: Leisure Participating in group events (e.g. Bingo, pub quiz) Going for walks Attending lectures, shows etc. Reading Watching television Craft activities Productivity Volunteering at local hospice shop Gardening Cooking Self-care Going to the toilet Using the hairdressing services Getting ready to go out Moving around Finding the way to different areas within the care home Moving around own room Going shopping or on trips Meals and refreshments Preparing / eating meals Social participation Participating in ‘small talk’ with other residents Talking with familiar and unfamiliar people (e.g. carers, health care staff) Talking with visitors (family members or friends) Example occupations in a care home setting [include relevant occupational examples from your placement setting]

How occupational therapists understand how people do their occupations Person Occupation Environment Occupational performance Adapted from Law et al., 1996

How occupational therapists work In collaboration with the person, group or community (and with an appropriate awareness of risk): Occupational strengths and needs (as identified by the person, family and relevant others) are identified Priority occupations are assessed Goals are set in collaboration with the person and relevant others Reasons for problems of occupational performance are clarified (considering the person, environment and occupational influences on performance) Intervention enables occupational engagement and performance Outcomes are measured in relation to satisfaction, engagement, occupational performance, participation and well-being. Adapted from Fisher (2009). Further information is available at: http://www.innovativeotsolutions.com/content/otipm/

Changing the way an occupational is done Altering the environment / using equipment Compensation Grading the occupation Teaching different techniques Skill development Importance of routines and doing for health and wellbeing Workshops / public health messaging Education Types of support used by occupational therapists [talk about examples of each type relevant for your setting]

Plans for the placement About me Ideas for my work [insert year of study] [insert length of placement] [insert where you will be based] [insert educator’s details] [insert other relevant information] [insert any areas of work you plan to do] Do you have any other ideas? Would you like to be involved? Would you like to be kept informed?

Thank you! Any questions? References [update as needed] Royal College of Occupational Therapists (2017) Occupation-centred practice. Available at: www.rcot.co.uk Dunton WRJ (1919) Reconstruction therapy. Philadelphia: WB Saunders. Available at: http://www.dunton.org. Accessed 01/03/17 Fisher AG (2009) Occupational therapy intervention process model: a model for planning and implementing top-down, client centred and occupation- based interventions. Fort Collins, CO: Three star press. Law M, Cooper B, Strong S, Stewart D, Rigby P, Letts L (1996) The person- environment-occupation model: a transactive approach to occupational performance. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(1), 9-23. Wilcock A (2006) An occupational perspective on health. Thorofare, New Jersey: SLACK Incorporated. World Federation of Occupational Therapists (2012) What is occupational therapy?, Available at: http://www.wfot.org. Accessed 01/03/17 [insert your name and contact details]