OT Week 2024: The power of occupational therapy
Creating a better understanding of occupational therapy, its role in health and social care, and how the occupational therapist workforce needs to be positioned in the future.
Too long have Occupational Therapists struggled with describing their job role and educating the masses, despite the core idea of the profession being around since ancient Greek times.
Blank stares, furrowed brows, and the words “so you’re just occupational health?” are all common occurrences for Occupational Therapists when they introduce themselves.
But the Royal College of Occupational Therapists are working to put a stop to this.
This year’s OT Week is all about the power of occupational therapy, and RCOT want to build a better understanding of its value in the world.
Naturally, at Krysalis, we have no issue shouting about occupational therapy and its role in health and social care, and we’re happy to pour our hearts out about what we do and why we do it.
But it’s important that we explain what we do in plain English…
What are occupations?
Occupations are the activities we want, need, or like to do in order to live our lives and take care of our physical and mental health. Our occupations can be related to self-care, leisure, or productivity in any context – from going to work to brushing our teeth.
From the day we’re born until the day we die, we all participate in occupations. They are the building blocks of our lives, and it goes beyond work or employment.
Occupational Therapists understand the power of participation – and the influence and importance of the social environment on independence and wellbeing. 
Jo Throp, Krysalis Clinical Director
At Krysalis, our neurological Occupational Therapists use activities to improve health and wellbeing, and they are interested in an individual’s ability to participate and perform their occupations.
Last year, OT Week centralised around gaining a better understanding of occupations, and this year’s theme works to build upon this, but now placing the focus on the value of occupational therapy itself.
Getting involved
The Royal College of Occupational Therapy have prepared guides and tools for Occupational Therapists, to help them raise the profile of occupational therapy. Head to their profile-raising page to help you:
- prepare a story
- act local
- be a media spokesperson
- influence decision-makers
- get social
Occupational Therapists may be only a tiny percentage of the health and care workforce, but they punch well above their weight in terms of their impact on people’s lives.
Richard Humphries, former Senior Fellow at The King's Fund (1)
Beyond using the resources and guides provided by RCOT, you can get involved with OT Week by sharing your own experiences with occupational therapy as a blog article, social media post, or by having a conversation with friends and family!
Personal stories help raise awareness, and truly highlights the power of occupational therapy and how unique it is to each individual.
You can also set up a fundraising occasion that supports occupational therapy services, with events such as a fun run, bake sale, or yard sale.
Or you could participate in local events organised by occupational therapists, healthcare organisations, or community groups. These might include workshops, educational sessions, or social gatherings.
Getting involved in OT Week is a great way to support and celebrate the work of occupational therapists and to raise awareness about its role in healthcare.
Medicine adds days to life, occupational therapy adds life to days.
Anon
The future...
This year’s OT Week is creating the opportunity to ensure that occupational therapy continues to play a pivotal role in improving health and wellbeing across the UK, and that its presence grows going forward.
And while OT Week is just that – a week – the goal created by RCOT is to put a workforce strategy in place over the next three years to address the UK’s health and care needs by expanding and strengthening the occupational therapy workforce.
The Workforce Strategy focus areas include:
- prevention
- early intervention
- integrated care systems
By 2035, this will enable the UK to have a larger, more effective, occupational therapy workforce.
But in the meantime...
Until that plan is in action, it is the responsibility of Occupational Therapists to shout about occupational therapy and be confident in their place in health and social care.
During OT Week 2024, at Krysalis we want to emphasise how crucial it is for our Occupational Therapists to feel supported and valued every single day.
We are dedicated to creating an environment where our Occupational Therapists understand that their skills, and daily commitment to realising potential, truly transforms the lives of those they serve.
This OT Week, and beyond, we want to encourage our Occupational Therapists to have unwavering confidence in their abilities and to proudly share their expertise with the world.
Keep an eye out across our socials this week – find us @ Krysalis Neuro OT on all platforms – where we’ll be celebrating the power of occupational therapy, and inspiring others to shout from the rooftops about the incredible work Occupational Therapists do!
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References
(1) Occupational Therapy Heroes 2019 (krysalisconsultancy.co.uk)