Occupations Have Stayed True Over Time

The word "occupation" means a lot in the profession of occupational therapy. It is what our entire profession is based around. Occupations are those things we do every single day that have meaning, and it has stayed true over time. Even from the very beginning, occupational therapist have focused on rehabilitation in regards to what people need to do in order to keep their lives functional and meaningful, and again, the key there is the person as a whole and their "occupations"

For the soldiers during and after the war, their occupations included being a husband, father, friend, or even just being a functioning member of society. And most importantly, serving our country. Whenever a mental health issue arose, or a physical disability or an injury during or after war, occupational therapist were there to save the day.

Even in current day, occupational therapist look at a person as whole and focus on getting them back to what is meaningful to them in regards to their everyday activities. Today, people still need to be a husband, father, wife, functioning member of society and still even need to serve our country.

For some people, occupations could be gardening, playing tennis, cooking, dressing, bathing, eating and the list goes on and on. It simply comes down to what is someones ADL's, what is meaningful to them and how can we as occupational therapists get someone back to doing these things at their full functioning ability. 

As occupational therapist we are here to serve others. We are continuing to be focused on what matters to someone else and how we can remove barriers in order for these occupations to be practiced. That is simply how "occupations" have stayed true over time in regards to occupational therapy.