April is National Occupational Therapy Month, and what better way to honor our team of occupational therapists than by talking about their field—and what they work on here at Innovative: OT and traumatic brain injury.

What is Occupation?
You may be wondering: what exactly is occupational therapy? For many, the word “occupation” means a job—our 9-to-5 daily work. But in the field of occupational therapy, the word occupation means so much more. Occupations are the tasks we complete throughout our day—the things we want to do, need to do, and even the things we don’t realize we do. Anything you’re working on is considered an occupation.

So, what exactly do occupational therapists do to support those occupations? In this post, we’ll find out.

Occupational therapists (referred to in this post as “OTs”) aim to increase safety and independence by helping you engage in your daily occupations. Their goal is to improve both your safety and your performance. At Innovative, our focus is primarily on occupations that have been impacted by injuries from car accidents, often following a diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). OTs help support you through any barriers that stand in your way and use their knowledge and experience to modify or adjust those tasks so that you can complete them. This could include changing how a task is done (task modification), adjusting how we move our bodies (body mechanics education), rewording or simplifying a task (cognitive compensations), and addressing all the barriers in between.

What Might You Do in OT?
So, what does it look like to work on these occupations with your OT?

At Innovative, we believe in meeting people where they are—physically and mentally—by offering functional in-home occupational therapy. This allows us to support task completion in your real environment, where real challenges exist after a traumatic brain injury.

In this post, we’ll offer ideas for unique, functional, home- and community-based therapy tasks that you may complete during therapy sessions with the support of your OT.

ADLs: The Basics
Brain injuries vary in severity, and symptoms are often unique to each individual. After a brain injury, many people face challenges that impact daily functioning. These may include difficulty getting around the house, reduced strength, decreased safety on stairs or getting in and out of cars, and trouble caring for oneself or others (such as children or pets).

These are all tasks you might work on in OT. OTs help modify tasks, educate you on safe transferring techniques, recommend equipment to make movement easier and safer, and suggest ways to adapt your home to better meet your needs.

IADLs: A Little More Complex
Once you’ve regained some of the basics, you may begin working on more advanced tasks called Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). These include things like housework, cooking, laundry—chores we may have taken for granted before injury but now feel much harder to complete.

Below are several IADLs and how OT can help you manage them:

Home Maintenance
Many patients tell us they “can’t keep up” with household chores. Paperwork may pile up, garbage may appear in unusual places, and dust collects where it didn’t before. You may not know where to start. Our OTs work with patients to develop organizational systems, install filing cabinets, and simplify cleaning tasks to improve performance. With their support, you’ll learn to break down these tasks, stay organized, and keep up with the things that matter most.

Medication Management
After an injury, you may leave the hospital with new prescriptions, confusing labels, refill schedules, and side effects to track. OTs can help you manage your medications by simplifying instructions, setting reminders, and using pill organizers to streamline your daily routine.

Meal Planning and Preparation
Cooking and grocery shopping are major parts of daily life. After an injury, it may be harder to stand at the sink, remember ingredients, or even get to the store. OTs perform kitchen safety evaluations, recommend equipment for safer meal prep, and work with you to create grocery lists, navigate the store, and stay within a budget. They can also help you pace yourself by incorporating rest breaks while you cook or shop—all with the goal of improving your participation.

Leisure
One of the toughest questions to answer after an accident is, “What do you like to do for fun?” Pain, cognitive difficulties, and frustration can make old hobbies feel out of reach. OTs help reduce barriers and increase participation in leisure activities like painting, shopping, or playing an instrument. They can help you rediscover old interests or explore new ones, supporting wellness and improving your mood.

Vocational Goals
Yes—OTs can help with your actual occupation, too. After an injury, you may be off work, switching jobs, or changing career paths entirely. OTs help you define your vocational goals, modify tasks, and provide reasonable accommodations to support your success. They’ll work to identify and overcome any barriers to help you function effectively in a job or volunteer role.

In Short
OTs can and will work with you on any part of your day that’s been impacted by your injury. Whether the issue is physical, cognitive, or emotional, our OT team will meet you where you are and help you modify tasks to improve safety and performance in the areas of life that matter most. Because without occupation, there is no therapy.

Written By: Jen Mitchem, MOT, OTRL, CBIS Clinical Team Leader/Occupational Therapist

Functional Rehabilitation