April is National Occupational Therapy Month!

Ortho Rhode Island is taking extra time this month to celebrate our team of occupational therapists for all that they do.

So what do occupational therapists do?

In a word: everything!

According to the American Occupational Therapy Association, occupational therapists (OTs) practice the therapeutic use of daily activities, or occupations, to “enable people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, and prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability.” Because each person’s diagnosis, lifestyle, and challenges are unique, occupational therapists have to be ready to embrace anything and everything.

Our occupational therapists tailor the therapy they provide based on individualized evaluations of each patient’s needs and aspirations – from buttoning a sweater to using a pencil to swinging a golf club. OTs help children with disabilities participate in school activities, people recovering from injury, older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes, and many others. In truth, there’s no limit to the kind of work OTs can do – because there’s no limit to the goals their patients strive to achieve.

What makes Ortho Rhode Island OTs special?

Their dedication and adaptability benefit the people at the heart of Ortho Rhode Island: our patients. Our OTs exemplify what we are all about – care that puts the patient first.

Ashley Weber, a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) who began working with Ortho Rhode Island last summer, values the individual connections she’s been encouraged to forge with her patients. “As a COTA, I am able to work one-on-one with my patients and really tailor each treatment session towards what my patients want to regain independence in.”

The keys to success, she says, are allowing the patient’s goals to dictate the kind of care he or she receives, and adapting therapeutic tasks and environments to suit them. “It is so important to focus on what the patient wants to work on and get back to, rather than focusing on only what the therapist sees as important.”

This patient-centered approach helps provide the foundation for positive patient-therapist relationships, which Ashley believes make her job special. “Being able to get to know my patients so well, while seeing how happy they are about their achievements no matter how big or small, is truly the most rewarding part of being a COTA for Ortho RI.”