Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists (OTs) assist people with disabilities to learn skills that will enable them to lead independent and satisfying lives. At MidCentral Health OTs assist patients' recovery across a range of hospital and community-based services.
Contact Occupational Therapy Department
Palmerston North Hospital wheelchairs being stored
Occupational therapy – what it is
Occupational therapy is a health profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. In occupational therapy an ‘occupation’ is defined as everything people do to occupy themselves from self-care to leisure and community involvement.
Who can benefit from seeing an occupational therapist?
People who have physical, emotional, social and developmental disabilities can benefit from seeing an OT.
These include people with:
- Neurological disorders - strokes, Alzheimers Disease
- Arthritis
- Congenital disorders
- Intellectual disabilities
- Orthopaedic conditions
- Surgical conditions – amputations
Occupational Therapy at MidCentral
MDHB employs 25-30 OTs who are based at Palmerston North Hospital, Dannevirke Community Hospital, and the Horowhenua Health Centre.
At MidCentral OTs and OT Assistants are employed to work in the:
- Acute wards
- ATR wards
- Community
- Hand Therapy and Scar Management
- Mental Health Services
- Child Development Service
- Community across the region
A central referral system is in place to process outpatient and community referrals to the community occupational therapy teams of Therapy Services (ie not Mental Health or Child Development). Referrals need to be made by a general practitioner, specialist or another MidCentral Health registered health professional.
Occupational therapists do not assess for walking frames. Please see physiotherapy.
For more information on occupational therapy visit the Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand or New Zealand Association of Occupational Therapists websites.
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Last Updated 29/10/2007