Occupational therapy is a type of health care that helps to solve the problems that interfere with a person’s ability to do the things that are important to them – everyday things like:
- Self-care – getting dressed, eating, moving around the house,
- Being productive – going to work or school, participating in the community, and
- Leisure activities – sports, gardening, social activities.
Occupational therapists, often called OTs, are the primary providers of occupational therapy services. OTs are:
- university educated professionals that apply their specialized knowledge and skills to recommend a course of preventive or corrective action that will help people lead more productive and satisfying lives,
- trained to understand not only the medical and physical limitations of a disability or injury, but also the psychosocial factors that affect the functioning of the whole person – their health and their wellness, and
- a regulated medical profession; occupational therapists must be registered with their provincial regulator in order to practice legally in Canada.
