The relationship between OTs and client families has so many benefits for all involved...
Trusting someone you love into the care of an OT is a big step. We understand the importance of what OT can achieve in a person’s life and the reward of seeing that progress is wonderful, yet sometimes the importance of the relationship between OT and a person’s family or caregiver gets forgotten.
OT is often centered on working towards common goals or purpose, which is always best achieved in ensuring that there is clear communication and understanding of the goals and the methods to be undertaken to achieve them by all the people supporting the individual.
Usually, a person’s family or caregiver would meet the OT at the initial consult, which helps create the start of the relationship and communication, but at other times, such as when a person transfers between OTs, there may not be an opportunity to meet the new OT as sessions may take place at school, for example.
Strong, positive relationships help build trust and ensures the person and their family feel supported. Having people around us who can share positive and difficult times can also help us manage stress when things become tough. Part of the purpose of OT is to provide support to the family, to understand the needs and challenges of the person and advise ideas, methods, and ways they can support the person.
We believe in a collaborative approach, in communication and the value these bring to our clients and families, so with this in mind, we will offer to have a home session when there is a new OT involved due to a transfer between OT’s. We also advocate for school holiday sessions as it allows the OT and persons family or caregiver a chance to talk face to face and keep building on the relationship.
Sometimes this can be tricky, as people get busy, however the value of liaising with families and caregivers, particularly when there are opportunities to meet face to face should not be undervalued. As the client’s main support network, you know them better than anyone else. You know their strengths, challenges and all the things that have or have not worked before. You are the ones who support your loved one day in and day out, hence why your input is so deeply valued and why we want to be a trusted supporter of you and all the wonderful things you do for your loved one. I have seen individual’s blossom when their whole care team (OT, family, other supports/providers) meet and work together to support and implement strategies for the one unified goal. Families feel better supported, individuals feel better supported and so do we as OTs. All I am hearing is win, win, win.
One of the main things that sets OT apart from other professions is that we do not do things for you or to you, we do things with you. The best way to achieve this is through regular collaboration, and one of the best ways to do this is face to face… it does not have to be every single OT session, we understand that life is busy, so even just once a term or every second term would work like magic.
So please consider taking your OT up on the offer to have a face to face session with you during this school holiday break. After all, teamwork makes the dream work!
Occupational therapy and early intervention: A family-centred approach 2003, viewed October 26, 2020 <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/oti.188>
