April marks occupational therapy month

April has been designated as National Occupational Therapy Month by the American Occupational Therapy Association, and by occupational therapy practitioners in McMinnville.

Occupational therapy is a health profession that helps persons whose lives have been affected by illness or injury. People who can benefit from occupational therapy range from the tiniest of newborn infants to senior citizens, and every age in between.

Occupational therapy helps injured workers return to the job, and also can teach healthy employees how to prevent injuries at work. Some common work-related conditions that can benefit from occupational therapy are hand and wrist problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis.

Older persons have a variety of health problems which can be helped by occupational therapy. For example, arthritis, strokes and Parkinson’s disease can affect the ability to carry out many activities of daily living such as dressing and eating. But occupational therapy can teach new ways to provide ingenious equipment to help carry out these tasks. The goal is to make the older person as independent and safe as possible.

The historical roots of occupational therapy in America date back to the early 20th Century, when it was found that “purposeful occupations” such as crafts helped patients recover more swiftly from injuries and illness, both physical and mental. Thus it was that occupational therapy derived its name.

Today, there are more than 100,000 occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants practicing in the United States, helping people master the “skills for the job of living!”

The Inpatient Rehabilitation Program at River Park Hospital would like to recognize our occupational therapy staff: Theresa Garrison, Renee Gipson, Kim King, Kathy Prince and Jennifer Richards.

To learn more about occupational therapy and its benefits, contact River Park Hospital at 931-815-4000.