Emerging Areas of Practice in OT: Health Prevention (& Promotion)

While looking at the emerging areas of practice on the AOTA website, the area of prevention stuck out to me. Professor Flick came and spoke to our class about the importance of health prevention and health promotion, and the AOTA has also stressed the importance of this area of practice. After school, I hope to move to Guatemala and work as an OT there. There, individuals with disabilities are treated differently, and considered sort of "voodoo" when it comes to an individual with CP or Down Syndrome going into public. While it is hard to wrap your head around, it is something that they have learned through their culture. That is why health prevention and promotion is something I am interested in. I hope to educate people in Guatemala of the importance of occupations on a person's life and how those with disabilities deserve the same chance for occupations that others have. The AOTA has created a pamphlet on health promotion and I believe they summarize the concept and the role of the OT very well, I have attached the link below.

I believe this emerging area of practice fully embodies AOTA's Vision 2025, that states: Occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living. By promoting occupations and health to communities that may not have access to/know about the importance of occupational well-being, the vision 2025 can be implemented anywhere, even in villages in Guatemala. And by educating the people of Guatemala on disabilities and their causes, individuals with disabilities can have a chance to participate in occupations that maximize their health, well-being, and overall quality of life.

Here is the link to more information on health promotion:
http://www.aota.org/-/media/corporate/files/aboutot/professionals/whatisot/cy/fact-sheets/factsheet_healthpromotion.pdf

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