Get to know occupational therapists
Occupational therapists are the primary providers of occupational therapy. They are also called OTs.
Occupational therapy is a type of health care that helps prevent and solve your problems in everyday life. Things that interfere with your ability to:
Take care of yourself - get dressed, eat, or move around the house.
Be productive - go to work or school, do things you like to do in your community.
Enjoy your leisure time - sports, gardening, or social activities.
Whether it’s walking the dog, preparing a meal, going to work or school, visiting the grandchildren or doing laundry, occupational therapy can help. OTs work with you and your family to create solutions that help you overcome your unique challenges. Your difficulties might arise from injury, illness, disability, mental health issues, social factors or the aging process.
There are many examples of how occupational therapy makes your every day possible.
Occupational therapists:
Listen to you, your family and caregivers. OTs get a holistic view of your needs and connect you with relevant resources and supports in your community.
Assess your environment and evaluate your abilities. OTs show you how to make small, simple changes to improve your daily life.
Suggest changes to your physical surroundings. OTs help you make changes to your home, workplace, classroom - even your car - that make your daily activities easy and safe.
Provide you with personalized strategies. OTs address the whole person - your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Find out where occupational therapists work - OTs deliver care in a wide variety of places.
Home and community
Home care, private and public clinics, health care boards, community mental health centres, group homes, vocational programs, and workers compensation boards.
Institutions
Hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care residences, schools, correctional facilities, and centres dedicated to rehabilitation, mental health and research.
Industry and business
Companies involved in rehabilitation like return to work preparation, care plans for insurance claims, and home design and modification.
Government
All levels of government advising in the areas of health promotion, disability prevention and management, accessibility, health policy and planning.
How do you pay for occupational therapy?
Your provincial health insurance plan may provide access to occupational therapy in:
hospitals
community health centres
rehabilitation centres
home care programs
Federal government benefits may be available to those covered through the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans Affairs, Corrections Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada. If not, ask for it!
Indigenous families may be able to request funding for therapeutic services in occupational therapy under Jordan’s principle.
Ask your local community organizations, churches, service groups or unions if they support private occupational therapy services.
Extended health insurance plans or employee assistance programs may include occupational therapy services as a benefit. If this is not the case in your workplace, ask your employer to add occupational therapy services to the list of benefit options.
If you have a work-related illness or injury, you may be referred for occupational therapy services.
If you’ve been in a motor vehicle accident, your automotive insurance may cover the services of an OT.
Some long-term disability insurance plans include occupational therapy services.
When occupational therapy services are not funded by public or private insurance or third parties, seek out private practice occupational therapists who offer competitive rates.
Did you know OTs do…
Home modifications
OTs can assess your home’s features and flow based on your individual needs; providing older adults and those with disability practical plans for living at home safely and independently.
Fall prevention
OTs provide assessments of you and your home to identify risk of falls and will make suggestions to adapt your environment to keep you safe and active. Enhance your home modification plan for aging homeowners and individuals with disability by involving an OT. Your plan will help to prevent falls inside the home.
Safer driving
Find out how the fit of your vehicle affects your driving. OTs can evaluate your driving capacity and propose adjustments or vehicle modifications to enhance your driving safety. An OT can help you adjust your vehicle to your changing needs.
Would you like to find an OT?
There are over 18,000 occupational therapists in Canada.
OTs are licensed, regulated health professionals. The Code of Ethics upheld by members of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) includes these expectations of OTs:
practice with integrity, accountability, transparency, and respect for others,
acknowledge diversity and uphold the principle of equity,
value and respect clients’ rights to be self‐directed in their decision‐making following their own needs, values and available resources, and
value and respect clients’ rights to be treated with respect and dignity within a safe and non‐ judgmental environment.
