Occupational therapists evaluate a patient's physical and cognitive abilities and determine how these factors may affect his/her ability to be independent with daily living skills. The occupational therapist may provide adaptive devices, teach new ways of performing activities, or try to reduce problems so that the patient may be more independent.
Some of the specific skills occupational therapists address are:
- basic self-care (dressing, bathing, eating),
- eye-hand coordination,
- exercises for general strengthening and to improve upper extremity function,
- homemaking skills, and
- coping with architectural barriers in the home.