What is the intended goal achieved by intervention from Occupational Therapists (OTs)?
Adaptation for activities of daily living (ADLs) through teaching techniques or recommending adaptive devices.
Occupational Therapists (OTs) center their therapeutic efforts on enabling the patient to achieve functional independence in their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). This means OTs focus heavily on adaptation, helping the patient relearn or modify how they perform essential self-care tasks like dressing, eating, or bathing. This adaptation is achieved either by teaching alternative techniques or by recommending specific adaptive equipment—ranging from specialized utensils to long-handled shoe horns designed to maximize autonomy despite physical limitations. Furthermore, OTs play a role in evaluating the physical home layout, suggesting necessary modifications to the environment itself to better support the patient’s functional capabilities.
