"Points-to-Ponder: from Reader's Indigest" :-) 1. Ambulation- occupationally relevant or not? Swallowing- an 'occupational' activity?
2. Arthrometric restoration or muscle strengthening (biomechanical approach) done by PT/ OT or who ever is done to achieve what? Muscle girth? Function? Occupation? 3. Overheard general statement in OT circles, "PTs work on stuff that may be functional but not occupationally relevant". What 'functional' improvements do not facilitate 'occupational' enhancement as well? Why would medicare or any body pay for function that means nothing for 'occupation'. So are PTs likened to cosmetic-plastic surgeons, while OTs are more like the reconstruction-plastic surgeons :-) 4. OTs' goals are to improve 'occupational' status, PTs' goals are to improve______? So do we wait till the physical/ functional status is improved by the PTs? Should we work side by side with basically duplicative motives, just with different semantics/ goals on the progress notes? 5. If all that "occupational" is functional but not vice versa, when does 'function' actually become occupational? Is the implication that, a 100 degrees of elbow flexion (function) only changes to occupation when one can now eat due to the new and enhanced ROM? Why would this person with intact cognition, perception and sensory functions, need an 'occupational therapist' to teach him how to eat and be 'occupated' to self feed and fill his basic urge or hunger, when the PT has already facilitated him with a 100 degrees? Why again, do you need a PT to work on his ROM and an OT work on his feeding at the same time? So what is the OT doing in a cognitively alert and oriented patient unable to feed self due to muscle weakness or limitation of joint movement? Or, what do you think about waiting for PT to do the transfer from bed to wheelchair and then it is our time to work on dressing? 6. Our roots in the pyscho-social arena was basically created to actually use the word 'occupational' to imply 'occupying' tasks mainly 'diversional' in nature. While I respect our roots, we have blossomed in to a field that 'occupates' a lot other systems of human functioning- psychosocial being one of them. I agree we are lot more holistic as we tend to take the mental and emotion aspects into consideration as well. But addressing physical dysfunction as it relates to occupational deprivement has undoubtedly emerged as our main practice arena- whether, it is in children with milestone delays or elders with senility. 7. What does the lay person understand by the word "occupation"? Is it the same meaning that we ( though through a general consensus through ongoing, countless debates) as professionals or students/ masters of "occupational" science have given the word? 8. Does working on physical functioning (well, all OTs believe that it is to enhance occupational performance) make you a physical therapist, and does working on mobility an 'occupational' self care activity by a PT, make him/ her an occupational therapist? 9. Is it the "occupational relevance" in the treatment modalities or in the goals that make us practice true OT? E.g: Ice/ retrograde massage to reduce swelling to improve peripheral sensation and thus, enjoying your cup of coffee? So do we discount the ice massage as physical therapy or count it as an OT modality? 10. Probably a little harsh- but are we OTs too timid to stand up and, announce our scope to address any dysfunctions (physical, social or mental) that limits the client from doing what he should or wants to do (ofcourse, what is acceptable to others and adheres to the so called societal 'norm')? Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jimmie Arcenaux" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 11:35 AM Subject: RE: [OTlist] what is OT? > Biraj, > > Are you implying that "activities which an individual needs to do or is > expected to do" are not functional? I agree that occupation is a broader > concept, but I believe what is occupational is also functional. Occupation > to me is the work of living as a human being. A functional activity by its > definition has meaning and relevance to the individual's life. > > Thanks Brian for the reference to the roots of OT. I could not agree with > you more. > > Jimmie > > -----Original Message----- > From: Incandescent [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 9:04 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: [OTlist] what is OT? > > Hi Jimmie: > > Not to put too fine a point on this but my sense is that when viewed from > the > perspective of activities "Occupational" is a distinct and larger concept > than > "functional". The former also includes within it what is meaningful to the > individual, whereas "functional" as the word implies refers to those aspects > of > activities which an individual needs to do or is expected to do - thus > functional. > > What do others think? > > Biraj > > Jimmie Arcenaux wrote: > > > I believe also that the use of occupational or "functional" (I hate using > > that term because it is coined well too often by OTs) activities as the > > primary treatment modality is a hallmark of occupational therapy. It is > > what the professions history is based upon. > > Jimmie > > > > *****************************��********************************** > > To remove yourself from the OTnow mail list, send a message to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > In the message's *body*, put the following text: > > unsubscribe OTlist > > - > > List messages are archived at: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > *****************************��*********************************** > > > *****************************��********************************** > > To remove yourself from the OTnow mail list, send a message to: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > In the message's *body*, put the following text: > > unsubscribe OTlist > > - > > List messages are archived at: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > *****************************��*********************************** > *****************************��********************************** To remove yourself from the OTnow mail list, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message's *body*, put the following text: unsubscribe OTlist - List messages are archived at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] *****************************��***********************************
