Ashley Jakovljevic BHScOT – Cobblestone Medicine and Rehab Centre

Cobblestone Occupational Therapy Services

An occupational therapist will try to find out why a client cannot do what they would like or need to do. An OT may check:

Your physical abilities like strength, balance and coordination
Your mental abilities like memory, coping strategies, organizational skills
What materials or devices you use to participate in activities like furniture, utensils, tools or clothes
What social and emotional support is available to you at home, school, work or in the community, and
The physical setup of your house, classroom, workplace or other environment

Depending on what the problem is, the occupational therapist can help you solve it by:

1. Helping you overcome your disability. OTs do this by:

educating or instructing you on how to do things with the abilities you have – e.g. getting around your community in a wheelchair
suggesting activities that will help you improve or maintain the abilities you have – e.g. improving your coping strategies

2. Adapting the materials you use. OTs do this by changing the things you use:

around the house – e.g. a special key holder to make turning keys easier
in sports or leisure activities – e.g. a playing cards holder
at work or school – e.g. special tools that help prevent injury to hands and back
to take care of yourself – e.g. special bath or toilet seats
to get from place to place – e.g. car modifications such as one-handed steering wheels

3. Recommending changes to the environments where you do your everyday activities. OTs do this by recommending that you:

change the physical layout of your workplace, home or school – e.g. lowering/raising desk tops, countertops or cupboards
find out about the supports in your community – e.g. specialized public transportation
work with the people in your community – e.g. providing education about a disability to the teacher or employer
work with the government to encourage health living – e.g. request funding for special equipment

Through client-centred care, occupational therapists not only help overcome barriers but help prevent:

unnecessary hospital stays and readmissions
premature moves to a nursing home
work injuries due to poor work station positioning and other organizational strains
school dropouts due to poor attention spans or reading and writing difficulties
unemployment among people with a developmental disability or a mental illness

Workers compensation claims may involve a referral to occupational therapy services if you have a work-related illness or injury.
If you have an illness or injury from a motor vehicle accident, occupational therapy services may be covered under your auto insurance plan.
Long term disability insurance programs may cover occupational therapy services.
If you are a Canadian armed forces veteran, the Department of Veteran Affairs may cover occupational therapy services.
When occupational therapy services are not funded by your employee benefit plan or by provincial insurance coverage, there are occupational therapists working in private practice who offer competitive rates.