April is National Occupational Therapy Month
Occupational Therapy Helps Individuals Live Life to its Fullest
Rockdale, Texas (April 1, 2010) — Occupational therapy enables people of all ages live life to its fullest by helping them promote health, prevent—or live better with—injury, illness, or disability. It is a practice deeply rooted in science and is evidence-based, meaning that the plan designed for each individual is supported by data, experience, and “best practices” that have been developed and proven over time.
“Every day working as an occupational therapist, I get to make a difference in someone’s life,” says Mona Butala, Director of Occupational Therapy at Little River Medical Center in Rockdale. “Whether the person has managed to dress themselves after a devastating stroke and can now return home or something as simple as holding a pen pain free in a hand compromised by arthritis, I can see I made a difference.”
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants focus on “doing” whatever occupations or activities are meaningful to the individual. It is occupational therapy’s purpose to get beyond problems to the solutions that assure living life to its fullest. These solutions may be adaptations for how to do a task, changes to the surroundings, or helping individuals to alter their own behaviors.
When working with an occupational therapy practitioner, strategies and modifications are customized for each individual to resolve problems, improve function, and support everyday living activities. The goal is to maximize potential. Through these therapeutic approaches, occupational therapy helps individuals design their lives, develop needed skills, adjust their environments (e,g., home, school, or work) and build health-promoting habits and routines that will allow them to thrive.
By taking the full picture into account—a person’s psychological, physical, emotional, and social makeup as well as their environment—occupational therapy assists clients to do the following:
- Achieve goals
- Function at the highest possible level
- Concentrate on what matters most to them
- Maintain or rebuild their independence
- Participate in daily activities that they need or want to do.
For more information on how Occupational Therapy can help you, contact Mona Butala at Richards Memorial Hospital at 512.430.6466.
About the American Occupational Therapy Association
Founded in 1917, the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) represents the interests and concerns of more than 140,000 occupational therapists, assistants and students nationwide. The Association educates the public and advances the profession of occupational therapy by providing resources, setting standards including accreditations and serving as an advocate to improve health care. Based in Bethesda, Md., AOTA’s major programs and activities are directed toward promoting the professional development of its members and assuring consumer access to quality services so patients can maximize their individual potential. For more information, go to www.aota.org.
About Little River Healthcare System
Little River Healthcare System formed in November 2006 when Blackhawk Healthcare merged with Richards Memorial Hospital to create a for-profit healthcare system dedicated to providing high quality, patient-centered care to the community. Little River Healthcare System is currently comprised of four facilities. These include Richards Memorial Hospital, Family Care Clinic, Little River Medical Clinic – Rockdale and Little River Medical Clinic – Cameron. Our mission is to provide excellent, personalized patient care; empower others to collaborate with us in improving community health and education, promoting a spirit of healing, and lifelong wellness.
About Blackhawk Healthcare LLC
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Blackhawk Healthcare is an owner and operator of small community and Critical Access Hospitals. Blackhawk’s desire is to transform rural healthcare by working synergistically with each rural community to build confidence and pride through improved healthcare delivery. We are passionately dedicated to the uniqueness of rural healthcare and improving the community by bringing the resources required to meet the broader needs of each "hometown" we touch. Blackhawk is inspired to provide excellence in service and modern facilities that convey trust, confidence and healing.