I'm an occupational therapist.
I am an occupational therapist.
Me too.
I'm an occupational therapist.
So what is an occupational therapist?
Occupational therapists are skilled professionals who
help us carry out activities we need or want to do, they help people of all ages
babies, children, adults and as we grow older, because of physical or mental
illness, because of disability or simply because we are getting older, many of us
just can't do some of the things that really matter to us,
everyday activities that we take for granted,
like washing or getting dressed, or going to school or
work, or simply being able to play sport, or enjoy our hobbies.
Occupational therapists can help us find other ways to carry on living the lives we want to live.
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994 when I was 29.
It affected my legs' mobility mainly, a lot of fatigue so it's quite difficult to do day-to-day activities.
The two biggest impacts is first of all not being able to take my
children out for long walks over the park and so on and also needing to give
up work which was quite a painful process.
I couldn't imagine life without the input of occupational therapists. They've
not only enabled me to remain independent but I can see that I will
remain independent for years to come, which I couldn't see before I had occupational therapy input.
Dina had a stroke when she was little and it's
affected the right side of her body, so all the activities that I've done today
have been trying to encourage Dina to move her right arm
and her hand, and to do it within play activities. So, we did some singing,
shaking musical instruments, and we've done some playing with play-doh so she's been
rolling out the play-doh, cutting out shapes, squashing it with her hands and now
she's been cleaning dolly, washing dollies against squeezing sponges
pouring water between cups, so all the things that children do every day in
their everyday lives, but trying to make sure that we're using both hands
together and getting as much movement and function.
Dina has made a lot of
progress and she can now sort of lift her arm from the shoulder and she started to
get some movement from the elbow as well so she brings it to water and takes it
away. And with her hand, she finds a bit more difficult to open and close but she's
starting to use it more and just involved in activities, so she's doing really well.
I mean I wasn't really enjoying life, I was okay when I went outside, but I
wasn't enjoying life when I came indoors because I had to face trying to get up
the stairs. You know you go to the bottom of the stairs and you think 'oh my god' I've got
to try and get up to the top of the stairs without wetting your drawers and things.
Sorry about the language... and I was holding
onto both the handrails and then sometimes I just had to sit down and do two or
three steps, and then I had to sit down and gasp for breath and that's how it was
,and then I got in touch with the council, and I think they sent someone before you didn't they?
I think that they they did, yes, and then eventually Wendy came and
it was Wendy that really helped me such a lot, I'm so grateful.
Well if it hadn't been for Wendy coming in , which has been wonderful ,I think I would have had to
ask for some help to go into either an old people's home or sheltered accommodation.
And I've read so much about the easier homes but I didn't quite fancy going there you know.
I went into what I now know to be a terrible low. And decided that I was going to kill myself
and I then threw my mobile phone in the bin and went off to Little Hampton.
but I took some rope and I was either going to hang myself or
drown myself. Well, later on in the day I decided that I couldn't do it I rang
my father, and he then got in touch with the police who were already looking for
me and they picked me up and I was sent to the Southwest sector recovery group
at 380 Stratton High Road, which is a mental health unit which is where I
first met Davina Blunt, who is the occupational therapist.
Davina's helped me in lots of different ways, some of them very small but all
these smalls have ended up into one big large, with all the effort that she put
in with trying to get my mind into some sort of state and order where I could
function, has just helped me immensely and I wouldn't be doing this one-man
play now if I hadn't had that help from her. So I owe a huge debt to her as my occupational therapist.
if you think that you, a relative or a friend may be experiencing difficulties
in doing the things that you need or want to do, are not getting the most from
life, you might benefit from seeing an occupational therapist. You can contact
an occupational therapist through your local NHS trust or through social
services. to find an occupational therapist please visit www.dot.org.uk