Occupational Therapy Services

Services

  • In clinic Occupational Therapy
  • Homecare and assistive services (assessments and evaluations for home care services)
    • Mobile services are offered to patients who require full home care assessments
  • Virtual and Online Services
  • Workers Compensation/WSIB Assessments (Personal Care Needs Assessments/ PCNA)
  • Motor Vehicle Accident/MVA Assessments (Form 1 Assessments)

Goals Of Occupational Therapists

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

How are occupational therapy services paid for?

  • 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.
  • Some extended healthcare plans will cover Occupational Therapy Services.