Occupational Therapy: What To Do
Help to do the everyday activities that illness or injury has made difficult.
Last revised
It focuses on function rather than diagnosis, which is often what actually determines whether someone stays independent.
Key takeaways
- Access: via GP, hospital or local authority referral
- Covers: home adaptations, equipment, techniques, work and daily activities
- Most useful single change: Ask for an assessment before a crisis rather than after.
- Commonest mistake: Buying equipment before an assessment that might fund it.
- See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to get help" below apply to you.
Do
- Ask for an assessment before a crisis rather than after
- Be specific about which activities are difficult
- Use the equipment provided, even when it feels like a concession
Do not
- Buying equipment before an assessment that might fund it
- Waiting until after a fall
The figures behind the list
Each item above follows from these, published in the guidance named at the foot of the page.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Access | via GP, hospital or local authority referral |
| Covers | home adaptations, equipment, techniques, work and daily activities |
| Equipment and adaptations | often funded by the local authority |
| Also covers | mental health and return to work |
Where to go next
- The Short Guide to Occupational Therapy
- Occupational Therapy: Sorting the Evidence From the Noise
- Occupational Therapy — the reference entry
- What the Guidance Really Says About Speech and Language Therapy
- What the Guidance Really Says About Returning to Activity After Illness
When to get help
See a GP after any fall, even without injury. Seek prompt assessment for a sudden decline in ability to manage at home, new confusion, or unintentional weight loss — in older adults these usually indicate acute illness.
Where this comes from
How this page was put together
Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.
Medical disclaimer
This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.