What I wish I knew before starting as an Occupational Therapist working in Aged Care

Written by Jarrod Gist, November 27, 2019.

As Occupational Therapists (OT’s), our main aim is to focus on a person’s performance in their desired ‘Occupation’ - Ageing and cognitive changes can greatly affect this performance. This is where our multi-dimensional assessing can uncover clues that others struggle to find.

The role of an OT working in a aged care home is both unique and similar to OT’s working in other areas. As an OT who has worked in Aged Care for several years, the common concerns are usually; ‘What sets us apart from other Allied Health Professionals in this role?’ and ‘How can I effectively apply my skills to benefit residents?’

After the first few weeks, the routines become clearer, and we get to know the residents.

Hearing about residents lives is easily the most rewarding part of the job. The residents start to become a big part of our life, we see them daily in our pursuit to make their lives better.

Given the residents age, it’s inevitable that their body and cognition will change gradually and sometimes unexpectedly. This can be the most challenging and emotional aspect of the job. However, it is at these times that we can provide the most benefit to the residents we care about.

Our ability to analyse a range of factors including their environment, support network and the resident’s current performance in the desired task allows us to reduce their pain, and increase engagement so that the resident can live their life as they wish.

A supportive team is always going to calm the nerves when settling into your new role, so don’t be afraid to establish a clear line of communication between your colleagues, whether this be through email, mobile or regular catch-ups, and be sure to make the time most of these opportunities.

I can help create real change in people’s lives, which is what motivates me to come into work everyday.