Celebrating World Occupational Therapy Day

Our professional, dedicated and enthusiastic Occupational Therapy team provides care to in-patients and outpatients for workplace injury rehabilitation and prevention management, NDIS assessments, equipment prescription and intervention, and aged care assessments.

Meet the team

Name:

Michelle Dixon

Your Role:

Mayo Injury Management Service, Manager

Tell us about what inspired you to become an OT and your career journey.

The 27th of October is world Occupational Therapy Day, a time for reflection and celebration for our profession.

I can remember at 14 years of age knowing I was going to be a therapist when I grew up. At the time I was only aware of physiotherapy. I had watched a friend of mine who had been in a car accident going through physical therapy in the hospital. It resonated with me and I loved the idea of helping people gain their independence back.

As I got older and making choices around what to study, I realised Occupational Therapy took a broader more wholistic view of a person. It was all about achieving a functional outcome and problem solving through the many strategies to achieve a person’s goals and priorities. You have to look at a person’s physical, psychological and mental capacities in relation to their life roles, motivations, environment and social situations. Every person is unique and situations are infinite, bringing with it challenges and rewards in the pursuit of the desired outcome.

The world changes quickly and with that new developments in interventions and treatment, assistive devices and technology occurs. Staying abreast of these changes is exciting and finding solutions is fluid. I am grateful for the satisfaction I get in my career, for the relationships I have built with colleagues and clients alike, and for the many people I have worked with across the globe who have touched my life in my capacity as a therapist. There is no greater joy for me than to see people thrive in whatever circumstances they are in…..and if I can bring happiness and laughter whilst achieving that, even better.

Name:

Linda Walters

Your Role:

Occupational Therapist, Mayo Injury Management Service

Tell us what it means to be an OT.

The focus of my practice is to support people to make informed decisions around how they can move toward living their best lives.

Occupational Therapy considers the whole person in the context of their ability, their goals and aspirations, their valued roles and activities, their social and cultural context and within their physical environment. Finding solutions (home modifications, equipment, therapy, education) that are the best fit within this sometimes bewildering complexity is both challenging and extremely rewarding. Enabling people to build on their strengths, and to move beyond their basic daily needs, to thinking about and pursing higher goals is very satisfying. “Always ability” is my focus.

Name:

Erika Day

Your Role:

Occupational Therapist, Mayo Injury Management Service

Tell us what you love most about being an OT.

I really love that as an occupational therapist you can assist individuals to participate in meaningful activities of daily living, work towards their functional goals and develop their functional capacity.

I enjoy helping individuals find the right equipment solutions to meet their needs; investigate strategies to develop their skills in personal care and domestic activities of daily living; facilitate community accessibility and social connections; and explore home modifications to meeting their individual needs.

I love that you can travel and specialise in any area of interest, meet people from unique and diverse backgrounds and get to help people to do the things that they want to do.

Happy OT week everyone!