OTPF - Why is it Important?

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, or OTPF, is the document that serves as the foundation for occupational therapy practice. Similar to other forms of foundations, its purpose is to create a common ground from which to build upon. By encompassing every aspect of the field of occupational therapy, the OTPF provides a generalized standard that may be practiced universally. Such components of the OTPF include client factors, performance skills, performance patterns, context/environment, and activity demands which can be further broken down more intricately on a case-by-case basis. Because the OTPF is comprised of and takes so many elements into consideration for the client, the therapist can effectively implement a holistic approach to his/her practice.  

~ Pam ♡

Football (not the American kind)

For more than half of my life, I have been heavily involved in extra-curricular activities, one of which is football (soccer). My role as a football player has been developing since I was roughly 10 years old. I played club football, competitively throughout high school, recreationally during college, and I currently continue to play on the lower end of the competitive level. Because football has been a major part of my life for so long and is one of the few aspects of it that makes me happy, it plays an important contribution to my identity. Playing football as an occupation involves a variety of activities, as well as tasks that make up those activities, including running, jumping, and kicking the ball. Tasks involved in specifically handling or kicking the ball primarily include gross motor skills such as hip and knee flexion and extension, and ankle plantar and dorsiflexion. Because football requires a substantial amount of proprioceptive skill, the gross motor skills involved are far more complex than what is formerly listed. Refinement of a multitude of both physical and mental variables is essential in becoming a skilled football player. In my case, they are necessary to maximize entertainment and pleasure, and by extension, meaningfulness.

~ Pam ♡

Wholesomeness: A Constant Variable in OT

Like all health professions, occupational therapy (OT) initially followed the medical model to care for clients. Oftentimes, healthcare practitioners pursue a "bottom-up" approach by tending to the client's needs in the most time and cost efficient manner. Consequently, non-physical elements which serve as a foundation for the client's overall well-being are neglected and, therefore, left untreated. However, upon realizing that OT not only tends to physical needs but also mental and emotional needs, the field adopted a holistic approach to client care. Active engagement in an occupation is deemed to be purposeful and meaningful to the individual, as well as an essential part of his/her identity. It is important for the OT to consider every aspect of the client as a whole which also allows the potential to form meaningful relationships. Because it has been shown to be successful in optimizing treatment outcomes and closing gaps left in other professions, the holistic approach in the field of OT has remained consistent and true over the decades. 

~ Pam ♡