Journal of Geriatric Research

Occupational Therapy (OT) is the use of assessment and treatment to develop, recover, or maintain the daily living and work skills of people with a physical, mental, or cognitive disorder. Occupational therapists also focus much of their work on identifying and eliminating environmental barriers to independence and participation in daily activities. Occupational therapy is a client-centred health profession concerned with promoting health and well-being through occupation. Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want to, need to, and are expected to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. Occupational therapy services typically include an individualized evaluation, customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.