Programs & Services
Occupational Therapy

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October is National Occupational Therapy Month!
Occupational Therapists are health care professionals who work with a variety of clientele. The primary goal of therapy is to promote independence with activities of daily living. These activities fall into the categories of self-care, productivity and leisure.

The theme for this year is Mental Health in the Workplace. For more information on this issue or Occupational Therapy in general, you can visit the website www.otworks.ca.

Occupational Therapists work with people of any age who are having problems with doing the activities that are important to them, because of changes in their abilities resulting from an illness, an accident, a developmental problem or the aging process.

Occupational Therapists work with other members of the health care team to develop plans to meet the needs of individual patients and clients and their families. They also work with people to prevent them from injuring themselves or to help them to maintain their health and their ability to carry out the activities they require for daily living. Patients or clients may be unable to work or enjoy leisure activities, and an occupational therapist can also assist them to take part in those areas of their life.

Occupational therapists:

• may help people to learn new ways of doing activities;
• may adapt equipment people need to take part in self care, leisure or work occupations;
• or provide suggestions for adapting the environment to make things easier for a person living with a disability.

Within Saskatoon Health Region, occupational therapists at Royal University Hospital work in the areas of neurosciences, burns, plastic surgery, rheumatology, orthopedics, oncology and family medicine.

Saskatoon City Hospital houses the Rehabilitation Centre for the northern part of Saskatchewan, and offers specialized in and out patient programs for elderly clients. Occupational Therapists in the FIT and Kinetik Programs provide services for those with musculoskeletal conditions resulting from motor vehicle collisions or work related injuries.

The occupational therapists at St. Paul's Hospital provide services on general medical/surgical, neurology and palliative care units.

Parkridge Centre and Sherbrooke Community Centre have occupational therapists and other health care team members on site to meet resident needs.

Occupational therapists provide service in the community to those with physical or psychosocial impairments. Therapists also form part of the team working with children with musculoskeletal or neurological problems at the Alvin Buckwold Child Development Program at the Kinsmen Children's Centre in Saskatoon.

For occupational therapy services outside Saskatoon, please contact the appropriate facility listed below: