Occupational Therapy: An update on the progress and current developments of the profession in Guyana
AS Rehabilitation Week approaches, we would like to share with Guyana the developing rehabilitation services that are available for people with disabilities, as well as provide more information on the profession of Occupational Therapy (OT). This profession is part of the collective of services that support individuals with a disability to be healthy and independent members of their community, with the ability to participate in their activities of daily living.
Occupational Therapy offers the client opportunities to achieve an optimal way of performance in activities of daily living. These consist of self-care (washing, dressing, cooking), work (paid or voluntary work, useful role within the family) and leisure (games, sport, crafts). These activities are used as a therapeutic medium to help individuals improve their ability to function, and be as independent as possible.
Occupational Therapists believe that using activities that are meaningful to the person helps the person to improve more effectively. Thus, the activities that clients find difficult to perform are either adapted or modified to enable participation.
For instance: transfers, getting dressed, housekeeping, school, and hobbies.
Occupational Therapists work with people who have a variety of disabilities from birth to older age, and come from all backgrounds.  Common types of disability that OT’s work with include stroke, head injury,  accidents (road accidents, work related injuries),  amputation, arthritis, mental health difficulties, cerebral palsy, Down’s Syndrome, learning disabilities, and autism.
Occupational Therapy is not new to the world, and has been in existence since the period of the Greeks. However, OT really took off after World War I. After World War II, the profession became well known in other parts of the world.
The profession has made huge strides within Guyana. Georgetown Public Hospital now has its very own OT Department, which is serviced by two Rehabilitation Assistants. The Rehabilitation Assistants completed an eighteen-month course looking at key aspects of each of these professions, and work in hospitals, health and rehabilitation centres, special needs schools, and communities across Guyana. The OT department is a fully-serviced department with a kitchen, bed, workspace and hand therapy table with the aim to simulate the home and work environment in order to provide effective therapy.  There is also an Occupational Therapist through Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) working with the Ministry of Health in the department. The OT does not provide therapy directly to people with disabilities, but works in partnership with Rehabilitation Assistants to build their capacity to practise principles of Occupational Therapy along with Physiotherapy and Speech Therapy.
Patients can now also seek OT as well as the other rehabilitation services within their local administrative regions, instead of travelling all the way to Georgetown. All ten administrative regions have their own Rehabilitation Departments providing OT, physiotherapy and speech services.
For more information on Occupational Therapy, please visit the Association of Caribbean Occupational Therapists at http://www.caribbeanot.com/ or World Federation of Occupational Therapists at http://www.wfot.org/
If you or someone you know has a disability and would like more information, please contact us, and we will put you in touch with someone in your area.