Nobody can deny that the role of occupational therapy is essential in a person’s social and mental recovery. Through multiple different methods, occupational therapists help people of all ages to improve their abilities to perform day-to-day tasks. Occupational therapists work with, and support individuals throughout the country who may be struggling; mentally, physically, socially or emotionally.
We asked Bethany Orr, an Occupational Therapist for Northern Healthcare, what she finds most rewarding about the job:
“Being an occupational therapist at Northern Healthcare is incredibly rewarding, being able to see people progress on a day-to-day basis due to occupational therapy intervention is the best feeling in the world. Being able to support residents to engage in activities that are incredibly meaningful to them and seeing the positive impact this has on them is one of the best perks you can have.”
Occupational therapists work with people with a variety of different disabilities to help them with their daily functioning. One of the main tasks of occupational therapy is to perform health risk assessments such as the potential of harm being caused, and how cognitive issues may have an impact on the safety of completing daily tasks. Occupational therapists also assist in incorporating healthy habits and routines into daily lives – whilst encouraging the engagement of social activities.
Occupational therapists provide skills training in a vast array of tasks including caregiving, time-management, stress-management – and most importantly, social inclusion. Occupational support is a crucial part of mental health recovery and social inclusion for people who are struggling to carry out basic social activities. This includes increasing their confidence, engaging them with social groups, and even prepare them for employment or training to enable residents to help contribute to society.
If an individual is struggling with their mental health, issues may also become apparent in relation to physical health. Occupational therapists are directly involved in promoting a healthy mindset as well as healthy occupations – whether that be dietary or fitness based. Interventions are also used to assist in tackling smoking & alcohol consumption and even different addictions. Each programme is unique, based solely on the individual resident’s needs.
The main benefit of occupational therapy is knowing that someone is always there for you – in both a professional and friendly manner. Just having someone to talk to can make all the difference when it comes to a resident’s recovery – whether that be talking about their day-to-day activities or discussing how the resident is feeling. This can go a long way!
Northern Healthcare works closely with occupational therapists to support individuals with their recovery. Established in 2013, Northern Healthcare offers bespoke supported-living tenancies which include both support and recovery programmes. With 24-hour support from a multi-disciplinary team of mental health professionals, we offer individual support pathways incorporating clinical and therapeutic interventions in conjunction with robust risk management.
For more information on how Northern Healthcare can assist either yourself or someone you know, contact one of our team today on 0161 974 7210 or visit our website to make a residential referral: https://www.northernhealthcare.org.uk/contact/
