DGMC’s occupational therapists to hold open house

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Denise Crabill
  • 60th Surgical Operations Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The occupational therapy clinic at David Grant USAF Medical Center will host their annual open house April 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. as part of Occupational Therapy Month to display how they put the “fun” back into function. 

Since the founding of occupational therapy during World War I, people have been wondering about what an occupational therapist does. 

It is not an organization that assists with job hunting. It is a profession that assists people to learn how to perform their daily life activities more efficiently and effectively despite an illness, injury or disability. 

Occupational therapy uses occupation or purposeful activity as a means to prevent, reduce or overcome physical disabilities. 

Eight occupational therapy specialists at DGMC focus on assisting patients so that they can return to their occupations. 

The occupational therapy staff has more than 40 years of combined clinical experience caring for countless patients including our troops stationed on the front lines. 

The occupational therapist must pass a national certification examination to obtain their credentials. 

“Occupational therapy is critical to the practice of hand surgery. I consider post-operative hand therapy half of the treatment program, with surgery being the other half,” stated Lt. Col. (Dr.) Tyler Harris, chief of hand surgery at DGMC. “There are some operations I will not even attempt if I do not have an occupational therapist experienced in hand therapy available,” said Colonel Harris. 

When it comes to creating treatment programs, occupational therapists evaluate the whole person, such as the individual’s abilities, the task to be performed, and the environment in which the task takes place. 

“The person requiring occupational therapy may be your father or mother facing changes due to aging; it may be your child, frustrated due to a fractured arm sustained in a neighborhood baseball game; or it could be you or your spouse, coping with an illness or injury from an accident,” explained Tech. Sgt. James Watkins, a physical medicine technician in the occupational therapy element. “Essentially, it can be anyone who, for whatever reason, cannot perform their daily functional activities of work or leisure.” 

Occupational therapy is a specialty service requiring referral through an individual’s primary care or specialty provider. 

Patients are referred to occupational therapy for different reasons which may include rehabilitation of a fractured hand or arm, fitting of a custom splint for carpal tunnel, range-of-motion exercises for arthritis, strengthening upper limbs after an injury, self-care training after a stroke, or recommendations for ergonomic worksite modifications. 

Occupational therapy members also educate patients and/or family members on injury and rehabilitation, provide training on joint protection, work simplification, energy conservation and adaptive self-care techniques. 

The goal is helping patients regain an independent, productive and satisfying lifestyle. 

For more information, visit the consumer section of the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Web site at www.aota.org, or contact DGMC’s occupational therapy clinic at 423-7816.