Occupational therapy

Service also available in Campbellton

What is occupational therapy?

Life is made up of meaningful daily activities or occupations, for example; going for a walk with your dog, gardening, preparing a meal, painting, doing laundry, and playing games. Occupations are part of life; they define us and they reflect our way of perceiving ourselves. Occupations give meaning to life. When we cannot participate in daily occupations due to injury, illness, disability, or social or environmental circumstances, occupational therapists can help us find solutions that will allow us to participate in meaningful everyday activities. The occupational therapist works in collaboration with other health professionals when it is deemed relevant.

Mental Health

Symptoms of mental disorders have a significant impact on daily activities, which for some can lead to temporary disability including being off work. The occupational therapist works with the individual on concrete strategies and supports them in resuming their activities so that they can find a balance between what they want, have to do and are required to do. Through individual sessions, the occupational therapist can provide education, teach and develop different management strategies such as relaxation, sleep hygiene, better management of energy and tasks, etc. The occupational therapist uses coaching strategies to support the client in identifying their values, interests and strengths as well as setting up realistic activities and goals to acquire those different strategies and resume activities.

Specific services

PEDIATRICS

Occupational therapy in pediatrics aims to support the child and his "grown-ups" (parents, counselors, teachers, etc.) to:

- support the development of the child;
- develop the child's autonomy in activities of daily living;
- enable children to develop and reach their full potential, at home, at school and in leisure time;
- Maximize participation in meaningful occupations and daily well-being for the whole family.

Attention: The achievement of the objectives of occupational therapy services in pediatrics is directly linked to the partnership work between the child, the O.T. and his parents (tutors, grandparents, teacher, etc.). This teamwork is not only essential to progress but also to the maintenance of achievements.

FOR THE BABY AND THE TODDLER, the occupational therapist intervenes at the level of functioning in the following occupations: sleep, nutrition (e.g. breastfeeding, introducing solids, etc.), exploring the environment and playing.

FOR THE CHILD, the occupational therapist still intervenes at the level of play, which is at the center of the child's learning, and at the level of the development of autonomy in personal care (dressing, eating, sleeping, washing, go to the toilet). School functioning is another area of work in which the occupational therapist can help the child.

Can an occupational therapist help you?
A free 15-minute telephone consultation allows you to discuss the needs of the child and his/her family, so that the occupational therapist can offer the most appropriate services.

WHEN TO CONSULT?

Food

• Refuses to try new foods and / or has a limited food repertoire
• Handles utensils with difficulty
• Does not remain seated at the table
• The introduction to solids is difficult with baby (e.g. retching, refusal, crying)

Dressing

• Has difficulty with zippers, buttons, laces
• Turn the clothes inside out
• Has difficulty learning the dressing sequence
• Badly tolerates being dressed, or certain clothes

Game

• Child explores the toys or does not seem to know what to do with them.
• Excessive awkwardness, or developmental stages (e.g. rolling from stomach to back) are not acquired and this limits the exploration of the environment, participation in the game
• Has trouble keeping up with peers in play (fantasy, board games, sports, etc.)

Sleep

• Takes a long time to fall asleep
• Irritability that appears excessive, with or without sleep challenges
• Wakes up frequently

WHEN TO CONSULT?

Hygiene care

• Is uncomfortable and/or resistant when brushing teeth
• Is uncomfortable and/or resists washing/cutting their hair, cutting their nails, etc.
• Lack of autonomy to carry out care (depending on age)
• Difficulties with toilet training or with fecal continence in older people

Fine motor skills

• Has writing difficulties, tries to avoid this kind of activity
• Difficult to do a DIY (scissors, glue, organization)
• Awkwardly handles school tools (pencil, eraser, ruler, etc.)

Routines

• Requires several reminders to move forward in your routine
• Forgets important steps
• Easily loses track of what he is doing

School operation

• Misunderstands or does not remember the instructions
• Lack of organization in ideas, work, etc.
• "Behavior" or other difficulties are frequently reported by the teacher
• Homework routine is stressful at home

Make an appointment

Accommodation in the workplace:

A workplace intervention with the objective of reducing the risk of injury or recurrence and offering specific strategies to the employee to facilitate the return and / or stay at work. This is a service often used to teach safe postural / biomechanical techniques, provide cognitive strategies to an employee who returns to work after a long absence or to reduce risks of absence.

Return to Work Program:

An individualized and structured program with the objective of favoring the gradual reintegration of the client into his work environment, following an injury, health related condition or illness. Such a program may include outlining a gradual return to work schedule, recommends temporary modifications of tasks, education of healthy postures and manual handling techniques or recommend equipment all to meet the client's unique functional abilities due to their health condition with the goal of returning to work. The occupational therapist provides follow-up and supervision throughout the reintegration process.

Occupational therapy rehabilitation for the management of persistent pain and other chronic conditions (invisible condition):

Designed for the client who is unable to self-manage the persistent pain resulting from physical impairment and who have difficulty doing activities that give their life meaning. The occupational therapist supports the client in learning about their pain system and developing strategies to better manage their time and energy, improve sleep, reduce the impact of stress, fatigue and pain, set up new habits, improve your ability to organize yourself in your day and week as well as build connections to reduce isolation. Often times, integrating new self management strategies result in reducing the experience of pain.

Ergonomic analysis and adaptation of a workstation:

An assessment of an employee’s work environment to identify the risk factors related to work methods as well as to the various elements of at the job including tools, equipment, tasks, organization, technology and the environment. The occupational therapist can then suggest task modification strategies and recommend adaptations and specialized equipment as needed.

Assessment of functional autonomy and home safety:

The occupational therapist visits the home to assess the daily functioning of the individual. With the help of interviews, scenarios and observations, the occupational therapist analyzes the difficulties in performing daily activities (eg: safety in the performance of transfers, bathing, meal prep, etc) and related environmental barriers. This will then offer recommendations for technical aids, possible home renovation and / or strategy to improve functioning and safety when participating in significant activities.