Essentially, Occupational Therapy (OT) is a holistic approach to healthy living that takes mental, emotional and physical well-being into consideration when making recommendations and finding long-term solutions for out-patients' living situations.
This is the career path chosen by my younger sister Jane. She spends her days meeting with patients, finding out how they are doing overall -- mentally, physically, and emotionally -- and determining how best they can return to living "normal" lives. Often she meets people who have had accidents, illnesses, mental breakdowns, broken bones, and other afflictions that have landed them under the care of health professionals. Every case is a person and she sees them as such. She learns who they are, what they need, and works to figure out what way she can help them receive long- or short-term care to live happily and healthily.
I am truly proud of Jane. She works really hard to help relative strangers, and she approaches each of them as individuals, not just patients. I was both surprised and pleased when she met Ronan and Pandora last week and heard her take on their condition.
"They just don't know when to quit, do they?"
Nope. They will keep trying to do whatever it is they want or need to do. I showed her a few things in my apartment that I had added as aids for the kittens to go about their normal business, including the water fountain. I explained my reasons for purchasing it, and how it has not only reduced spills and puddles, but also eliminated their getting splashed up the nose.
"You're an occupational therapist," she told me. "And you didn't even know it. You found a solution that fits what they need for their disability."
BONUS:
One of Ronan's quirks: Forgetting to put his tongue back inside his mouth, especially when he is excited!
