April is National Occupational Therapy Month: “Living Life to the Fullest”
Occupational Therapy at VMH ... “Living Life to the Fullest” during National Occupational Therapy Month. Pictured above, at center, is Occupational Therapist Tami Gebel. Two cousins, Taylor Regan, pictured above at left, and Trevor Peiffer, at right, both broke the same right elbow within about a month of each other. Even though they each broke the same elbow, one required surgery and the other did not, therefore their Occupational Therapy (OT) treatments have focused on different goals. Submitted photo.
by Tami Gebel, OTR/L,
Veterans Memorial Hospital
“Living Life to its Fullest.” What an inspiring statement. This creed has been adopted by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in celebration of April being National Occupational Therapy month. Occupational therapists throughout the U.S. are celebrating the month dedicated to acknowledging the profession.
Melissa Clarke and I, the occupational therapy staff at Veterans Memorial Hospital, are celebrating all the accomplishments of the people who we have worked with in the past. Twenty years have passed since I moved from Minneapolis, MN to Waukon to become an occupational therapist at Veterans Memorial Hospital. Since 1999, I have had the opportunity to work with many northeast Iowa residents during their recovery process. All of the people I have met, and those who have allowed me to enter into their lives, hold a special place in my mind. I take great pride in their accomplishments which they have gained through occupational therapy treatments. These are the people who have inspired me and challenged me to develop into a better therapist.
Occupational therapists help people regain function following injury or illness. We treat people who have hip or knee replacement surgery, heart attacks, pneumonia, strokes, diabetes, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, arthritis, tendon injuries and tendonitis, generalized weakness, traumatic brain injury, breathing difficulties, and many other diagnoses. We specialize in treating people who have broken wrists, elbows or hands to regain strength, movement and independence in daily activities.
The role of occupational therapists is to provide treatment to people of all ages, birth to 100+ years, so that they are able to participate in the everyday activities that they need and want to do. Occupational therapists ensure that elderly patients are safely capable to perform routine activities, such as dressing, bathing and cooking. Occupational therapists work with adults to regain movement, strength and endurance to complete work-related tasks, housekeeping chores, and childcare tasks.
Occupational therapists also provide therapy to children and youth to gain fine motor skills required to complete school tasks, such as writing, coloring, typing and tying shoes. In addition, occupational therapists work with athletes to increase strength and reduce the risk of re-injury after returning to a sport.
Occupational therapists can even address the skills required to complete leisure activities, such as playing the piano/organ, knitting, gardening and carpentry work.
An occupational therapist assesses and treats the whole person, not just the physical, but also the psychological, emotional and social aspects of a person’s life. Occupational therapists help people set and reach goals that may have been beyond the person’s reach. Occupational therapists help people of all ages regain the ability to complete activities that simply make life worth “living to its fullest.”
