Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides

Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides typically perform the following tasks: • Instruct, or assist in instructing, patients and families in home programs, basic living skills, or the care and use of adaptive equipment. • Maintain and promote a positive attitude toward clients and their treatment programs. • Report to supervisors, verbally or in writing, on patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior. • Implement, or assist occupational therapists with implementing, treatment plans designed to help clients function independently. • Monitor patients' performance in therapy activities, providing encouragement. • Observe and record patients' progress, attitudes, and behavior and maintain this information in client records. • Select therapy activities to fit patients' needs and capabilities. • Attend continuing education classes. • Aid patients in dressing and grooming themselves. • Evaluate the daily living skills or capacities of clients with physical, developmental, or mental health disabilities. • Communicate and collaborate with other healthcare professionals involved with the care of a patient. • Work under the direction of occupational therapists to plan, implement, or administer educational, vocational, or recreational programs that restore or enhance performance in individuals with functional impairments. • Alter treatment programs to obtain better results if treatment is not having the intended effect. • Assemble, clean, or maintain equipment or materials for patient use. • Transport patients to and from the occupational therapy work area. • Design, fabricate, or repair assistive devices or make adaptive changes to equipment or environments. • Attend care plan meetings to review patient progress and update care plans. • Demonstrate therapy techniques, such as manual or creative arts or games. • Teach patients how to deal constructively with their emotions. • Order any needed educational or treatment supplies.