THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITIESAN INTRODUCTION[LECTURE: 5&6]

“To provide an activity to pass time or to exercise a limb is not very difficult, but to enable an individual to engage in an activity that has purpose and meaning for her or him and which will assist in the development of performance skills is the highest art of the Occupational Therapist”. 

Therapeutic activitiesIt involves using functional activities

to improve functional performance in progressive manner.

These activities can be purposeful or non-purposeful.

Intrinsic value of Therapeutic Activities

Activities- both the process of doing them and their end product have value at many different levels. Values of an activity:

Learning tools- develop skillsStructure timeProductive- meet needs of being purposeful and

creativeAllow expression and exploration of feelingsStimulation and activationPlay, pleasure and social interaction and connectionKnowledge, competence and mastery

Occupation and Purposeful Activity

The term Occupation and Purposeful activities used interchangeably, the commission on practice discriminated between two; it defines Occupation as active participation in self maintenance, work, leisure and play and defined Purposeful activity as goal directed behaviors or tasks that comprise occupations (AOTA, 1993)

Core Concepts: Elements of

Occupation

Personally experienced and goal directed Reflects culture and cultural values Provides meaning Involves multiple tasks Provides organization and structure to

living Meets needs of the individual and others

in the social world Fills time Uses abilities and skills May have a physical and/or mental

component Is recognized by the culture Provides pleasure and enjoyment Contributes to family and broader

community Contributes to health and well-being Aligns with development of the individual

Purposeful Activity Small units of behavior Use of objects Action May or may not produce an

object Goal directed Required for development,

maturation and use of sensory -perceptual, motor, social, psychological, and intellectual functions

Purposeful and Non-purposeful Activity

A purposeful activity is the activity has an autonomous or inherent goal beyond the motor functions required to perform the task, conversely non-purposeful activity has been defined as activity in which there is no inherent goal other than the motor function used to perform the activity.

Purposeful activity has both inherent as well as therapeutic goals.

Pic.1: non-purposeful activity; shoulder wheelPic.2: Purposeful activity: Straw cutting activity

Pic.1: Wall mounted Finger ladder, Pic.2: Wall painting

Pic.1: Inclined Sanding Activity, Pic.2: Window Cleaning

Pic1/:Wood sanding, Pic.2: Tabletop cleaning, Pic.3: Ironing, Pic.4: Horizontal sanding activity

Pic.1: Static Cycle, Pic.2: Pedo Cycle

Cycling: Purposeful Activity

Objectives of the therapeutic activity

Purposeful activities are used to or adopted to one or more of the following objectives:

To develop or maintain strength, endurance, tolerance, range of motion and coordination.

To practice and use voluntary, automatic movements in goal directed tasks

To provide for purposeful use of general exercise to affected parts

To explore vocational potential or trained in work skills To improve sensation, perception and cognition To improve socialization skills and enhance emotional

growth and development

Characteristics of therapeutic activities

Activities selected fir the therapeutic purpose should have following characteristics:

Be goal directed Have some meaning to the patient to meet

individuals needs in relation to social roles Requires the mental and physical participation of the

patient Be designated to prevent or reverse dysfunction Develop skills to enhance performance in life roles Relate to the patient’s interest Be adaptable, gradable and age appropriate Be selected through knowledge and professional

judgment of the Occupational therapist in concert with the patient.

Activity Adaptation: To adapt an activity means to modify it and it

involves changing the changing the components that are required to complete the task. Adaptations are made to allow the patient to experience success in task accomplishment at his/her level of functioning.

Activity Gradation: Grading an activity refers to the process of

performance being viewed step by step in a continuum that progress from simple to complex.