Occupational Therapy Month
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
APRIL IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MONTH!
What is Occupational Therapy?
If it any point in your life illness, injury, or disability prevents you from effectively or independently functioning in one or more “occupational” areas, then it is the job of Occupational Therapy. An occupational therapist (OT) provides intervention which will help you regain function, maintain level of functioning, or make accommodations for any deficits you may be experiencing. Using the latest and most reliable sources for evidence, it is the goal of the certified OT’s and OT assistants at our four different locations to develop a treatment plan that will allow you to complete all the activities you need and want to do in order to live your life to the fullest.
Front row: Peggy Punsel, Vicki Kamuchey, Courtney Crouse, Cheri Bump. Center row: Kim Ruffalo, Kelly Brunson, Carol Christensen, Alyssa Villarreal, Mary Hughes. Back row: Ann Kutz, Sara Wilde, Laura Nyquist. Absent from the picture: Liz Pomeroy, Mindy Wade, Maureen Hack, Anne Flemming-Coburn, and Angie Adler.
Who do Occupational Therapists work with?
Occupational Therapists work with patients with injuries affecting their upper extremities – from finger lacerations or amputations to wrist fractures, strains/sprains, or even shoulder tendonitis or rotator cuff repair surgeries. The occupational therapists at Fort HealthCare have training to cover all upper extremity injuries. In addition, the OT’s commonly work with patients who have had a stroke or neurological complication to regain their hand function or general coordination. The OT services at Fort HealthCare extend to pediatric patients with sensory processing disorders or developmental delays. They will provide comprehensive education on adaptive equipment for anyone with medical complication to regain abilities on completion of self-care tasks.
OT’s are celebrating throughout the month at the various locations in the area. These locations include the Fort HealthCare hospital, Fort Therapy and Sport Center, Whitewater Therapy and Sport Center, Lake Mills Therapy and Sport Center, Wound and Edema Center in Johnson Creek, and Public Schools. Each site is planning several activities for patients, physicians, and employees to recognize the importance of Occupational Therapy.