Occupational Therapists: Encouraging Meaningful Lives at Every Stage
What is Occupational Therapy (OT)? What do OTs do? Who do they help? These are questions Occupational Therapists (OTs) hear often, and they can be tricky to answer because the truth is, OTs can work with anyone and address almost anything! The “O” stands for “occupational” or “occupation,” and the “T” stands for “therapy.”
An occupation refers to any role, task, or purpose that holds meaning in a person’s life. OTs often talk about "meaningful occupations," which are activities that matter most to us. What we consider meaningful can change throughout our lives, and sometimes, it’s not what we’d expect.
For example, activities like showering, using the bathroom, or eating might not seem significant until you’re unable to do them. While they aren’t directly meaningful, they’re essential for our well-being—without them, we’d be in discomfort or even unwell. Driving a car, on the other hand, might not be relevant for a young child, but play and relaxation are crucial for all ages to stay happy and stress-free. Ultimately, meaningful occupations are anything important to you at a given point in your life, helping you not just to survive, but to thrive.
What’s meaningful to us doesn’t stay the same throughout life. Right now, your meaningful occupations might revolve around work or family. But if an injury or illness suddenly prevented you from earning a living or participating in your usual activities, how would that impact your life? That’s where an OT can step in to help.
“…meaningful occupations are anything important to you at a given point in your life, helping you to not just survive, but thrive.…”
We often take everyday tasks like showering, brushing our teeth, getting dressed, or using the bathroom for granted. But imagine if these simple activities became difficult or took much longer to complete. How frustrating would that be? These are things we feel we should just know how to do, but when life takes an unexpected turn, these routine tasks can suddenly become major challenges.
This is where Occupational Therapists come in!
OT’s have a unique perspective of how these situations can change your life. They will work with you, your environment, your passions and the people close to you to ensure you achieve your potential. OT’s see the strength you show through adversity and appreciate that you may need some support.
You may come across an OT at any point in your life, and in any situation. Which is why we find it so hard to define our role. We don’t work with just one type of person, age group, or condition—because meaningful activities are important for everyone, everywhere.
