Occupational Therapy
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) is a science degree-based, health and social care profession, regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council. As an Occupational Therapist (OT) I can provide practical support to empower you to take control of your recovery and overcome barriers preventing you from doing the things (occupations) that you want, and need to be able to do.
"Occupation" refers to all those activities you do everyday that give your life meaning and purpose, so from the mundane; like getting up, showering and going to work to the things you do for fun and that make you feel alive! One of my core beliefs is that occupation fosters dignity, competence and health, and we are occupational beings, as an OT I engage in occupation—I involve and occupy myself and commit to mutual promise—so that you may also engage.
Think about your day-to-day life;
Would you be able to cope or live fully if you couldn't get out of bed in the morning?
Couldn't sit at your desk pain free all day?
Couldn't get to the gym or couldn't even leave your house?
As an OT I’m skilled at looking at all aspects of your needs—physical, psychosocial, social and environmental and co-creating with you to come up with solutions to enable you to get you back to doing what you love!
Working Environment.
As more and more of us are being asked to work from home it is vital that you are comfortable and have your working environment fully assessed to ensure that your employer is meeting their duty of care to you under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, to reduce the likelihood of injury to you.
One of the areas I am particularly passionate about is promoting accessible and safe working environments, after all, here in the U.K we are likely to be working for nearly 40 years, and more specifically looking at your workstation set up and how this contributes to tension and pain in your back, neck and shoulders and may cause long term injury through repetitive poor posture.
As an employer there is considerable duty placed upon you to under the Work with display screen equipment: Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 as amended by the Health and Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2002 to reduce the main risks of health risks associated with display screen equipment (DSE) work such as musculoskeletal disorders, visual fatigue and mental stress.
If you are struggling at work, I will provide a full work based assessment, including activity analysis, risk assessment and recommendations, in order to support you, and your staff, to remain at work comfortably, reduce risk of injury and promote good working practices.
What else can OT do?
I have been qualified as an Occupational Therapist since 2005 and have experience of working with adults of all ages and in a range of settings. I have extensive specialised skills in the areas of long-term condition management, palliative care and neurological rehabilitation. I am an experienced case manager and have worked with clients with a range of injuries, including brain and spinal injury, amputations and complex orthopaedic injuries.
I am skilled at assessing, planning and managing rehabilitation programmes and care packages for clients in the community. I complete specialist assessments to advise on aids and adaptations, as well as risk assessments for complex manual handling work. I have completed several assessments and recommendations for staff and clients returning to work after illness and injury.
If you are interested in any other aspects of occupational therapy then please get in touch with me, and have a look at the Royal College of Occupational Therapy website to see what else OT can offer.
