Occupational Therapy at UnityPoint Health - Des Moines
What is occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy (OT) treatment helps individuals who have a physical, sensory or cognitive disability live an independent life as much as possible. Occupational therapists help people participate in the things they want or need to do through the use of activities. This could mean helping injured individuals recover their skills, or helping older adults who are experiencing cognitive or physical changes.
Occupational Therapy Locations
At UnityPoint Health - Des Moines, we offer rehabilitation to meet everyone's needs. Our individualized care is 1:1 therapist to patient. Care is provided on an outpatient basis, however, our occupational therapists are located at the following clinics throughout the Des Moines metro:
The Difference Between Occupational and Physical Therapy
There is a difference between physical and occupational therapy. The treatments improve a person's quality of life. PT focuses on joint range of motion, gross motor functioning, strength and pain, while OT focuses on fine motor skills, cognitive abilities, visual-perceptual skills and sensory-processing.
Blank Children's Hospital offers a full range of therapy services for inpatient and outpatient care for infants, children and teens who have an injury, developmental condition or illness. Our services include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and audiology.
Where is occupational therapy offered?
OT can be provided in a variety of settings. These settings include:
- Private therapy settings
- Group therapy settings
- Hospitals
- Community-based outpatient clinics
- Residences
- Long-term care facilities (skilled nursing, rehabilitation centers, senior living facilities)
- Clinics
Who needs outpatient occupational therapy?
People of all ages can benefit from OT. Not only does occupational therapy benefit a person's well being, but also can address social, environmental psychological factors that affect function.
Certain medical conditions and injuries can benefit from treatment from occupational therapists:
- Mental health problems
- Stroke or heart attack survivors
- Head injuries
- Arthritis, MS or permanent disabilities
- Burns
- Spinal cord trauma
- Amputees or those with prosthetics
- Sensory disorders
For aging adults, occupational therapy helps them safely do things they like to do. This could be different tasks around the home, Alzheimer's care, recovering from a stroke or living with arthritis.
What to Expect in an Occupational Therapy Appointment
While it varies from person-to-person, there are a few things a person can expect when they begin meeting with an occupational therapist. To begin, he or she will undergo an individualized evaluation which will help determine the goals of the patient. Depending on the needs of the individual, the occupational therapist may also perform an evaluation of the environments a person may regularly be in, like a home, school or workplace.
Throughout outpatient occupational therapy, there may be outcome evaluations to ensure that goals are being met, and if not, make updates or changes to the treatment plan.