Rehab of the Pacific’s Laura Burger helps to educate the public about the benefits of this specialized field.When my editor emailed that April is Occupational Therapy Month and would I be interested in writing a feature story? I replied, Sure! After all, I’d love to have a hand in shedding some light on a field so important that its experts decided to devote a whole month to it. There was, um, just one teensy-weensy question: What does an occupational therapist do, exactly?
Enter Laura Burger, occupational therapist at Rehab of the Pacific in Kihei, a satellite branch of the main hospital in O‘ahu. “It even took my mom forever to understand what it is that I do,” Burger said. “Not a lot of people know what OT [occupational therapy] is. I really like to get out and educate people.”
Occupational therapy is defined as a treatment that assists individuals from all walks of life in developing the skills for the job of daily living. Practitioners specialize in human growth and development, specifically in regards to the social, emotional and physiological effects of illness/injury. Patients range from pediatrics to geriatrics. Burger explained. “In a sense, everybody needs OT. It’s about balancing your life—balancing self-care, work and leisure.”
One of Burger’s goals for April is simply to show people that there are many resources available to them: “A lot of times, people get injured or their love ones have a stroke, for example, and they just aren’t aware of all the ways there are to help them. We have so many gadgets,” she said, “like reachers, long-handled shoehorns, one-handed cutting boards. We can get people functioning really well and independently.”
Specializing in hands, wrists and elbows, Burger works mostly with patients who have suffered cumulative trauma disorders, like tennis elbow and carpal tunnel. Amongst many other methods, part of administering therapy in her niche includes making custom splints, something other types of therapists generally don’t do.
“I like everything about [occupational therapy]—how functional it is, getting people back to where they were before an injury, or at least to being as independent as possible.”
One patient of Burger’s, Jen Tempchin, was hit head-on by a drunk driver. The collision resulted in a broken wrist, broken fingers, bruised ribs and a concussion. Needless to say, the accident dramatically chang-ed Tempchin’s routine of daily living. She testified, “[Burger] helped me to focus on recovery and helped me to get back to my normal life. She pushed me just the right amount to heal fast and healthily. I will always be thankful to her for helping me to recover, and always with a smile.”
Although Burger works at a clinic with outpatients, the nature of occupational therapy leads its professionals to a wide variety of places and people. Of course, many occupational therapists find themselves in hospitals, where the focus is most often helping patients to master activities of daily living, such as how to dress, safely use the restroom and get in and out of the shower.
Some occupational therapists work in school systems. They work both with teachers and with students from elementary school up to high school level, where they may become involved in vocational counseling.
Another specialized sector of occupational therapists has found success working with autistic children. “Occupational therapists have a frame of reference, which they’ve developed, called ‘sensory motor integration.’ It has been proven to be very effective with autistic children,” Burger explained.
Others find themselves in a more preventative realm, traveling to homes and businesses to administer safety evaluations. Therapists can ensure homes are set up to be conducive to safely practicing daily activities of living—a fantastic resource for the elderly or stroke sufferers, for example. Or, they can evaluate the ergonomics of an office. “People don’t realize how dangerous it is working in an office,” said Burger, “So many people are injured just sitting at a computer all day—we see neck problems, wrist problems, even leg problems… A lot of people put their job before their own well being. There’s no job that’s worth that. And so many of the modifications that can be made are so simple, like just moving things around or getting telephone books to put under your feet.”
With so many facets and opportunities within this still relatively misunderstood field, Burger hopes to not only encourage patients to seek help, but also to inspire others to join the island’s small occupational therapy community. “We definitely need more practitioners in the field,” she said.
For more information about occupational therapy, visit the national association’s Webpage: www.aota.org, consult your physician, or contact Rehab of the Pacific at 879-5211.