If we truly want to be client centered, then I think it is more important to meet them where THEY are, rather than expecting them to understand where we are. If we are to work with people who have sustained a medical illness or injury, they are dealing with it within the medical model - going to their doctor, possibly trying to treat it with medicine or alternative approaches, but whatever they are doing, it is within the medical model. To them, the impairment IS the problem, not the occupation. We may feel that engaging in occupation will be the most efficient and effective means of giving them back what they can't even articulate that they want, but it is not(in my opinion) realistic to expect them to recognize this at the outset. Any education program geared at people who are not currently experiencing a problem is not going to be all that effective, as they won't recognize the need to pay attention to something that has no immediate relevance in their life, and once they have a problem, it is the problem that they will be focusing on. Since the problem is their focus, we need to be able to articulate to them how we can help them with their problem, while we gradually introduce the way in which that problem may be impacting their occupation and ways in which we can alleviate that. To continue to garner the referrals, or be recognized as worthy of 3rd party reimbursement, we need to be able to articulate this within the medical model to the referral sources and payors as well. They are functioning within the medical model, and that is where we have to meet them, not try to force them to meet us outside of that model. Ann >> Hello All: >> >> Simple, our clients are seeking answers to problems. They want >> theseproblems fixed. But the problems are not occupation, the >> problems are >> things like weakness, loss of balance, developmental delay, >> depression,etc. Clients see these 'components' as the problem and >> this is what they >> expect their therapist to address. This is the way the entire >> world of >> medicine works and for OT to be any different just doesn't work. >> >> What I think needs to be done is for our patients to recognize >> loss of >> occupation as the primary problem. Then, they recognize the need >> for an >> occupational therapist. And as far as I can tell, the ONLY way >> that this >> is going to happen on a large scale is for AOTA to put >> together a >> NATIONAL ad campaign directed at educating people about >> occupation and >> thus occupational therapy. >> Ron
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