Article: Occupational therapy Article Body What is Occupational Therapy? Occupational Therapy is the assessment and treatment of people of all ages who have physical, mental and/or social problems. It uses different activities to enable you to be independent in all aspects of your daily life. Occupational therapists recognise that everyones lifestyle is different and how each person lives is up to them. The Occupational therapist will help and support you to achieve goals that are most important to you. The College of Occupational Therapists website at www.cot.org.uk tells you what the role of the occupational therapist is and how occupational therapy may benefit you. All occupational therapists have to be state registered with the Health Professions Council to assure the public that they are competent to practice. More details are available on their website at www.hpc-uk.org/ All occupational therapists who are on the web site are registered with the Health Professions Council and are members of the specialist section of independent practitioners within the College of Occupational Therapists. What do Occupational Therapists do? Community based occupational therapists can offer assessments and give advice to enable you to carry out everyday tasks in your own home as independently as possible. This may include: Dressing and personal hygiene Getting to the toilet Getting on and off a chair or in / out of bed Preparing a meal or drink for yourself The occupational therapist will do this by: Working with you to find new ways of doing a task Providing specialist equipment such as a shower chair or a mobile hoist Providing minor adaptations such as a grab rail Arranging major adaptations such as a ramp or a stairlift Advising or referring to other services that may be of help to you such as care managers or wheelchair services How do I contact an occupational therapist? In Barnsley, occupational therapists work within the Equipment and Adaptations Assessment Service and can visit you in your own home to carry out an assessment of your needs. You can apply for an assessment by completing and returning our Online Referral Form. If you are looking for an occupational therapist to provide private treatment or independent advice you can look at the on-line directory of the Occupational Therapists in Independent Practice to find someone in your area. To find an independent therapist click on this link www.otip.co.uk The Disabled Facilities Grant website has information if you wish to make alterations to your own home. The website tells you how to apply for a grant and how it is calculated. Please note that you can not apply for a grant if alterations to your home have already been started or completed. Follow this link to view a list of local and mail order suppliers of equipment to enable you to be more independent in your day to day living tasks.