Health Literacy In Occupational Therapy

750 Words3 Pages
We as humans develop through the act of “doing” and through “doing” we become the special occupational individuals that we are. Health literacy is described as the degree in which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understanding basic health information and services that is needed to engage in healthy decisions to incorporate a healthy lifestyle (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). At times, many people have trouble understanding about their health especially with elderly care. It is through the historical roots of occupational therapy’s philosophy and its practice that occupational therapy is grounded through the perfect knowledge and skills to assist people of all ages to actively participate in taking…show more content…
This is what fulfills the framework of occupational therapy. Occupational therapy practitioners are trained to help people live healthy lives. Therefore, Occupational therapy practitioners are granted the privileged opportunity to enable clients’ with health literacy through their professional expertise and focus on supporting clients in occupations that are meaningful to them. Occupational therapy practitioners understand how people interact with the world around them to encourage the right health information to make healthy decisions, and develop healthy habits that are safe and appropriate for the client’s well-being. In daily practice setting, occupational therapy practitioners meet elders who can benefit from assistance in making positive choices to improve the quality of their health (Padilla, 2012). In order for this to happen, these elderly adults will need to learn to recognize new maladaptive ways to incorporate healthy literacy by making the smallest changes in their lifestyle. As OT practitioners, we first educate clients, caregivers and families on the importance of intrinsic motivation to enjoy the participation in occupations. When the client recognizes the stimulation of purposeful participation, the elderly adults can then maintain functional capacity, interests and overall life satisfaction. For example, a group therapy intervention would be beneficial for this. As a COTA, I could encourage the group members to help assist with decorating cookies for the holidays. Here, the clients can be involved with growth, development, self-confidence and self-esteem that can easily help and are included with other meaningful daily occupations. The caregiver and family members can then be enlightened by the simple activities that truly
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