This article discusses the role and benefits of occupational therapy in stroke rehabilitation. Stroke survivors face multiple challenges. These include weakness on one side of the body, a decline in cognitive and emotional functioning, and social disability. Patients recovering from stroke also face difficulties in having the ability to walk and care for themselves and a decrease in community participation. Occupational therapy can be instrumental in addressing these challenges at all stages in the continuum of care. Rehabilitation after stroke is essential in helping individuals achieve health, well-being, and participation in life through engagement in occupations. One of the primary goals of occupational therapy is to retrain in self-care skills and adapting activities and environments. Read more of the role of occupational therapy in stroke rehabilitation at
TRAINING AND FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE FOR PATIENTS WITH STROKE
Patients recovering from strokes must train and try to perform various tasks to promote beneficial neuroplasticity associated with paretic Upper-Extremity functional performance. Task-oriented training induces cortical reorganization. The bases for rehabilitation after stroke include motor control, motor learning, and rehabilitation science. It is also important for patients recovering from stroke to engage in active participation and skill acquisition. It emphasizes the practice of meaningful functional activities, rather than the specific remediation of impairments. This way, patients can achieve the maximum benefits of occupational therapy, including more significant neural plastic changes and transfer to real-life activities. Effective task-oriented-trainings entail the elements of challenges, progressive and optimal adaptation, and interest. Read more of training and functional performance for patients with stoke at
BENEFITS OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IN STROKE REHABILITATION
There are numerous benefits of occupational therapy in stroke rehabilitation. Stroke is the largest cause of severe physical disability. Rehabilitation is the most effective treatment to reduce functional deficits. Occupational therapists play a central role in helping patients recovering from strokes. They recommend the best activities across the spectrum of physical and mental domains to reduce limitations after stroke. Brain plasticity forms the basis for rehabilitation. It is a concept which implies the possibility of facilitating cerebral reorganization by external inputs. The activities for rehabilitation after stroke promote this re-education process and encourage the development of lost skills. These activities also accommodate specific physical, cognitive, or affective impairments. Read more of the benefits of occupational therapy in stroke rehabilitation at
Additional attachments
>> Download