Occupational Therapy: Geriatric Specialization

GERIATRIC OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY 

 

For the next few weeks of my open blog posts, I would like to look further into four specialized areas of occupational therapy: Geriatric, pediatric, mental health, and physical rehabilitation. I will dedicate each week to discovering more in detail what each area of specialization has to offer. For this week, I have chosen to dig deeper into geriatric occupational therapy. The goal of a geriatric occupational therapist is to help their elderly patients be able to maintain the most independent life that they can, for as long as they can. Most elderly patients would love to stay in their home as long as possible and occupational therapy can help them to do so. Occupational therapy is very affective with geriatrics because not only do therapists help their patients, but they also counsel the patients' community (family, neighbors, friends, etc...) to ensure that they are doing what they can to help the elderly stay independent.The most common conditions that geriatric OTs work with involve arthritis, strokes, body replacements of the hip and knee, dementia, depression, and many other conditions. They work to prevent these conditions, or care for them if they are already there. They also help the elderly with daily activities that are required in order to live independently such as bathing, dressing, eating, laundry, shopping, and many other daily activities. And finally, they help to provide activities for their patients to avoid having them slip into social isolation from others. OTs encourage new social activities that are mind-stimulating to avoid this and also dementia.

After researching this topic, I have found that there are so many beneficial aspects of geriatric occupational therapy. I have a certain soft spot for older people, and I believe (especially after learning in detail how much geriatric therapy helps) that helping an elderly person be able to live the best life that they can and feel like they can still take care of themselves would be such a rewarding feeling.

WORKS CITED

Susan Berg. "Geriatric Care & Occupational Therapy." eHOW. N.p. Web. 28 January 2013.