An “Occupation” refers to all the activities you do - including work, leisure, personal care, community and household activities.
Think about the things you did over the long weekend: maybe you went for a bike ride, had a meal out with friends, read a book, cooked for family, headed to the beach for a walk, or went shopping.
What about your routine this morning to get ready for work? Getting out of bed, having a shower, commuting to work. Now ask yourself: what would you do if you couldn’t do certain parts - or all - of these activities? How would this make you feel? How would that impact on your life and that of your family?
Kerry Mckiernan, Inpatient Team Coordinator and Occupational Therapist for our Older Persons Rehabilitation Service,
began working at Hutt Valley DHB in January of this year.
“We work with people of all ages who may experience barriers to participating in daily occupations,” says Kerry. “OTs assist people to develop, recover, or maintain these activities. We use a wide range of methods to help people and don't just rely on equipment.”
“I enjoy thinking outside the box to look at alternative ways to do things. For example, I previously used my dog in Animal Assisted Therapy to help motivate people in hospital to engage in rehabilitation.”
“I love working with patients who have suffered from strokes and helping them achieve their goals. Which can be anything from getting dressed, putting on make up to being able to go to the supermarket.”
Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants work across a wide range of areas in Hutt Valley DHB, including Orthopaedics, Burns, Older Persons Rehabilitation Service, Community Health, Child Development Service, Mental Health, Medical Assessment Planning Unit, Long Term Conditions and Hand Therapy.
