b'Symptom ManagementWhat is Occupational Therapy? What is Occupational Therapy? Addressing the activities of daily living.Addressing the activities of daily living.By Christine HamptonCan an occupational therapist help you ndactivities, therapy often has to address both the a job? Does an OT help you with a midlife crisis?skills needed to complete these activities and Is occupational therapy the same thing ascompensatory strategies to assist with making physical therapy? These questions are just athese activities more doable. For example, few of the many I have encountered whenone might have to address hand strength and people come to see me for OT. Occupationalcoordination, and try using a pen with a large grip therapy is a mystery to many. An occupationalto have more legible handwriting. One might therapy session can look very differentneed to work on vision, arm strengthening, depending on the setting and the populationand reaction time in addition to using hand being served. I often feel that OT is the chameleoncontrols to be able to drive again. The process of of the therapy world. regaining independence varies greatly from So what exactly is occupational therapy?person to person, but the main goal of OT is to Occupational therapy is a form of therapyhelp one participate in their daily activities.that addresses activities of daily living andMS and occupational therapy the instrumental activities of daily living. ThisMultiple sclerosis can affect a person in many is anything functional that one might participateways depending on disease progression, and in during the day. Occupational therapy canthe result can often be decreased participation be such a diverse area of therapy because thein daily activities. Fatigue, weakness, heat and functional activities one participates in dailycold intolerance, bowel dysfunction, bladder can vary greatly from person to person. Eachdysfunction, challenges with cognition, and person has their own unique set of activitiesreduced coordination are a few of the potential that make up their day. Some areas OT canMS symptoms that can lead to increased address include bathing, dressing, grooming,challenges with daily activities.bowel and bladder management, toileting,Lets break down some of the common MS knitting, handwriting, playing guitar, dancing,symptoms and see how OT can help. Fatigue health management, sleep, etc.is present amongst the majority of individuals These functional activities are the mainwith MS. The two primary types of fatigue focus of OT. To gain independence in theseinclude lassitude and nerve ber fatigue. OT msfocusmagazine.org 8'