Occupational Therapists use activities that are meaningful to the individual to rehabilitate and enable them to be more independent after accidents, physical and mental illnesses. An occupation is not just a job, but what a persons roles, hobbies and routines are – how they occupy their time. But does Occupational Therapy exist in India?
There are very few Occupational Therapists in India although training of therapists exists. I have not met any Occupational Therapists during my stay in India. However, there appears to be work taking place all over Rajasthan and Gujurat that is not necessarily called Occupational Therapy, but is exactly that….
At the Jaipur Limb Clinic, patients would have prosthetic limbs and callipers fitted. In the polio rehabilitation centre and a private orthopaedic hospital, some of the patients were fitted with splints and braces to enable them to walk and use their limbs for activity. This is the role of the physiotherapist in India. In the UK this would primarily be the role of the orthopaedic Occupational Therapist.
In a learning disabled school in Rajasthan, staff members were making necklaces with the pupils. In a blind school, a kitchen was available to the pupils to teach them how to cook in order to live independently and give them a chance to earn a living in the future – all examples of Occupational Therapy.
In a physiotherapy department, a sensory room in which to take patients to help calm or stimulate younger children using different lights and objects was seen. In the UK, sensory rooms and sensory integration play a key role in helping people with mental health problems and learning disabilities. Occupational Therapists may carry out baseline standardised assessments beforehand such as the Sensory Profile, which is also used in India. In a cardiac rehabilitation centre, patients were prescribed an exercise program and were also offered yoga and meditation to help alleviate any stress that can have an adverse effect on the body.
Despite there being few Occupational Therapists in India, it is good to see people in need being treated holistically. This trip has taught me that health professionals in India take the mind and body connection seriously, which is something that some health professionals in the UK could perhaps study further.
Cassie Thomson, Specialist Occupational Therapist
There are very few Occupational Therapists in India although training of therapists exists. I have not met any Occupational Therapists during my stay in India. However, there appears to be work taking place all over Rajasthan and Gujurat that is not necessarily called Occupational Therapy, but is exactly that….
At the Jaipur Limb Clinic, patients would have prosthetic limbs and callipers fitted. In the polio rehabilitation centre and a private orthopaedic hospital, some of the patients were fitted with splints and braces to enable them to walk and use their limbs for activity. This is the role of the physiotherapist in India. In the UK this would primarily be the role of the orthopaedic Occupational Therapist.
In a learning disabled school in Rajasthan, staff members were making necklaces with the pupils. In a blind school, a kitchen was available to the pupils to teach them how to cook in order to live independently and give them a chance to earn a living in the future – all examples of Occupational Therapy.
In a physiotherapy department, a sensory room in which to take patients to help calm or stimulate younger children using different lights and objects was seen. In the UK, sensory rooms and sensory integration play a key role in helping people with mental health problems and learning disabilities. Occupational Therapists may carry out baseline standardised assessments beforehand such as the Sensory Profile, which is also used in India. In a cardiac rehabilitation centre, patients were prescribed an exercise program and were also offered yoga and meditation to help alleviate any stress that can have an adverse effect on the body.
Despite there being few Occupational Therapists in India, it is good to see people in need being treated holistically. This trip has taught me that health professionals in India take the mind and body connection seriously, which is something that some health professionals in the UK could perhaps study further.
Cassie Thomson, Specialist Occupational Therapist
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