Occupational therapists (OTs) assist people with disabilities to learn skills that will enable them to lead independent and satisfying lives.
At MidCentral DHB OTs assist patients' recovery across a range of hospital and community-based services.
What is Occupational Therapy?
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
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 registered health professional.
Occupational therapists do not assess for walking frames. Please see
physiotherapy.