Ask Your Patient About the Picture on Their Wall: The Power of Connection in Occupational Therapy
Sometimes the most meaningful part of an occupational therapy session begins with a simple question. Learn how asking about a picture on your patient's wall can help build rapport, establish trust, and uncover the activities that matter most to them.
AI in Occupational Therapy Documentation: Working Smarter, Not Harder
Could artificial intelligence be one of the most valuable tools for improving efficiency, documentation quality, and work-life balance in occupational therapy?
As occupational therapists, we dedicate our careers to helping individuals regain independence, improve their quality of life, and participate in meaningful daily activities. However, there's another significant part of our profession that often takes up more time than we'd like: documentation. Between evaluations, daily treatment notes, progress reports, and discharge summaries, documentation can quickly become overwhelming. What if there were a way to streamline this process without sacrificing the quality of our clinical documentation?
That's where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in.
Fall Prevention Is About More Than Balance: An Occupational Therapist’s Perspective
Fall prevention is about so much more than balance. From the home environment and footwear to strength, cognition, daily routines, and everyday activities, many factors can influence an older adult’s risk of falling. From an occupational therapy perspective, fall prevention means looking at the whole person, task, and environment to promote safety while supporting independence and confidence.
How to Use Flowers as a Therapeutic Tool in Occupational Therapy
Sometimes the best occupational therapy interventions don’t feel like “therapy” at all.
One of my favorite ways to create a meaningful, functional treatment session is by taking an everyday activity and intentionally using it to target a patient’s goals. Something as simple as arranging flowers can address fine motor skills, standing balance, activity tolerance, cognition, upper-extremity function, and even social and emotional well-being.
And the best part? At the end of the session, your patient has something beautiful they created themselves.
Signs an Older Adult May Benefit From Occupational Therapy
As we age, it’s normal for certain daily activities to become a little more challenging. But sometimes, small changes in an older adult’s routine can be early signs that they could benefit from additional support.
Maybe getting dressed is taking longer than it used to. Maybe they’ve stopped showering as frequently, are holding onto furniture when they walk, or have slowly stopped participating in activities they once loved. These changes can be easy to brush off as “just part of getting older,” but they may actually be signs that occupational therapy (OT) could help.
Occupational therapists work with older adults to help them remain safe, independent, and engaged in the everyday activities—or occupations—that are meaningful to them.
The Hardest Part of Working With Older Adults as an Occupational Therapist
Working with older adults is one of the most rewarding parts of being an occupational therapist. It’s also one of the hardest.
When you work closely with someone week after week, they become more than a diagnosis, a plan of care, or a name on your schedule. You learn about their families. You hear stories from decades ago. You learn what makes them laugh, what motivates them, what frustrates them, and what matters most to them.
You celebrate their wins right alongside them. And sometimes, you experience their losses, too.
What’s in My OT Bag? Essentials for the On-the-Go Occupational Therapist
I use a rolling bag to carry my therapy essentials from one patient to the next. And while it might look like I’m packing for a weekend getaway, everything inside has a purpose. Working with older adults in their natural environments requires flexibility, creativity, and the ability to adapt a treatment session based on what I find when I walk through the door.
From vitals and fall prevention to strengthening, cognition, fine motor skills, and adaptive equipment, here’s a look inside my OT bag.
Grip Strength and Fall Prevention: Why This Simple Measure Matters More Than You Think
When we think about fall prevention, we typically think about balance, lower-body strength, mobility, vision, medications, and the home environment.
But what about grip strength?
How Occupational Therapy Can Help Prevent UTIs in Older Adults
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infections affecting older adults. While many people think of antibiotics as the primary treatment, prevention often begins with something much simpler—our daily routines.
Occupational therapists (OTs) play an important role in helping older adults maintain independence with everyday activities that can reduce the risk of developing a UTI. By addressing mobility, self-care, cognition, hydration, and the home environment, OT can help support healthy bladder habits while improving overall quality of life.
Let's explore how.