Occupational therapy

Our occupational therapists help people of all ages take part in the daily activities that matter to them, from self-care and school to work and life at home. As part of our rehabilitation and paediatric teams, they support adults recovering from illness or injury and children who find everyday tasks difficult. Treatment focuses on practical activities such as dressing, washing and eating, while supporting independence, recovery and safety.

What is occupational therapy?

Occupational therapy focuses on how neurological changes following a stroke, brain injury or other neurological condition affect a person's ability to carry out everyday activities. Therapy helps people regain independence, improve safety and participate more fully in daily life.

When occupational therapy can help

Occupational therapy may help if you or your child:

• Find everyday tasks hard after a stroke, injury or surgery
• Live with arthritis or another condition that makes self-care difficult
• Struggle at school with handwriting, focus or play
• Need to relearn daily skills after a brain injury or illness
• Want to stay independent at home while living with a long-term condition
• Changes in sensation, vision or visual perception
• Difficulties with planning, memory, attention or problem-solving
• Challenges returning to home, work, community or other meaningful roles

People usually come to occupational therapy on the advice of a doctor or specialist, often as part of a wider rehabilitation team, though you can ask about it directly too. There isn't one symptom that signals the need. The trigger is difficulty with daily activities, whether that follows a sudden event like a stroke or builds slowly with a condition such as arthritis or dementia.

What to expect

Your first session is an assessment. The occupational therapist asks what you or your child want to be able to do, and how you manage daily tasks now, at home, at school or at work. They may watch you do an activity, check your movement and thinking skills, and look at the places where you spend your day. Together you agree what matters most and where to start.

From there, you'll follow a practical plan. This might mean learning new ways to do a task, using equipment such as splints or grips, or adapting the spaces where you live and work. For children, therapy often uses play to build skills such as handwriting and coordination. Your goals are agreed with you and reviewed as you go, so the plan keeps pace with real life.

Occupational therapy at Mediclinic

Our occupational therapists work as part of our rehabilitation teams, supporting patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. During a hospital admission, occupational therapy may begin as soon as the patient is medically ready.

In an outpatient setting, ongoing rehabilitation focuses on developing independence and providing practical strategies to help patients apply their skills to everyday life.