The occupational therapy offers interesting possibilities when it comes to encourage active aging and promote the independence or autonomy of the elderly in the performance of daily tasks, to achieve a better quality of life.
As the specialists of , occupational therapy is present in different areas of everyday life. from the most basic activities related to the self care such as dressing, eating, mobility or grooming, to the development of communicative skills and relationship with other people.
Also included productive type activities with a higher degree of difficulty, ranging from domestic tasks such as washing clothes, cooking or using the computer to professional tasks. And, furthermore, the occupational therapy can occupy much of the leisureespecially in leisure through physical exercises to improve physical capacity or artistic activities and workshops to improve cognitive ability.
For all these reasons, more and more are the socio-sanitary and residential centers that use these practices to improve the quality of life of its residents.
From Sanyres The fact that these techniques generate environments where reinforces the self-esteem and fulfillment of the elderly, in addition to keeping them integrated in society. And it is that occupational therapy can be used with a stimulating, preventive or rehabilitative purpose.
There are many types of occupational therapies, both classical and innovative, including from the intergenerational meetings wave play therapy (activities with hands), until the hydrotherapythe music therapythe animal therapy waves virtual therapies.
Ultimately, the benefits offered by performing occupational therapy techniques They are many. Among the main since the following stand out:
– Prepare people for retirement and delay aging.
– Provide learning techniques and procedures to know the use and operation of aid mechanisms such as hearing aids, walkers, wheelchairs or prostheses.
– Prevent possible physical injuries through joint and muscle exercises, promoting good health.
– Enable older people to carry out basic activities such as care and improvement of their own image.
– Obtain a learning of beneficial postures, especially in people who are bedridden.
– Allow the development of motor skills and the sensory system. As well as cognitive and memory stimulation.
– Implement the use of assistive technology to improve care.
– Improve functional capacity through tasks and exercises.
– Integrate the elderly in the immediate environment to their needs where they must live, to achieve their adaptation.
– Promote intergenerational encounters to share experiences and memories.
– Gain support and facilitate the relationship with the family.
To achieve these goals these tasks should be performed with the help and advice of an occupational therapistwhich in turn must determine through an assessment protocol which are the techniques that will help the elderly to improve their quality of life, since any occupational therapy must be adapted to the physical and psychological conditions of each person.