Introducing health professionals to the profession of occupational therapist

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Extract from the article: The Solider'go association, in collaboration with the NGO Volontaires Internationaux pour la promotion de la Sante en Afrique (VISA) and the Association des Etudiants en Médecine, Pharmacie et Odonto-Stomatologie du Togo (AEMPO), organised a conferen

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The Solider'go association, in collaboration with the NGO Volontaires Internationaux pour la promotion de la Sante en Afrique (VISA) and the Association des Etudiants en Médecine, Pharmacie et Odonto-Stomatologie du Togo (AEMPO), organised a conference on occupational therapy for health professionals and the general public on Friday 11 August. The aim of the event was to raise awareness of disability issues, and to discuss professional practices in occupational therapy. The conference on occupational therapy took place in Lomé, at the training institute of the NGO VISA.

Solider'Go is a French association which carries out international solidarity projects in Togo with the aim of promoting the development of health and disability. During their first trip last year, the founding members of the association identified needs, particularly in terms of the inclusion of people with disabilities in Togo. They then decided to set up two projects, including "Viéviédodo", with the aim of showcasing occupational therapy, sharing professional practices and raising awareness of disability issues. There is no occupational therapy school in Togo.

To this end, Solider'go has introduced the profession of occupational therapist to around twenty health professionals, including physiotherapists, home care assistants and specialist educators. These professionals will work at the intervention and information centre for children with autism spectrum disorders run by the NGO VISA.This is a project that the NGO VISA is keen to make a reality.

For Claire Dedyer, a member of the Solider'go association, it is important to empower people with disabilities and promote their inclusion in society. « Our aim is to pass on knowledge about how to support people with disabilities so that they become more autonomous and independent.We want to make occupational therapy more accessible to healthcare professionals.They need to take account of patients with disabilities and their environment, » she says.

What does an occupational therapist do?

Occupational therapists are health professionals who do not provide treatment, but help people with disabilities to regain their autonomy and independence in all activities of daily life (i.e. from morning to night).This involves re-education, i.e. restoring physical, cognitive and sensory capacities; rehabilitation, when the person needs human, material or animal aids to carry out activities despite the recovery of motor and cognitive capacities (adapting the environment, installing technical, human or animal aids); and social reintegration, by proposing activities in the person's usual living environment (work, school, leisure, etc.).Occupational therapists can work both inside and outside institutions.In institutions, occupational therapists may work in rehabilitation centres, retirement homes, hospitals and many others.Outside institutions, occupational therapists can work in prisons, insurance companies, fitting-out firms and private practice.

For Claire Dedyer, the aim of occupational therapy is to enable people to be autonomous and independent in all their activities. These activities are chosen in partnership with the person, their family and friends, and the health professionals involved in their development.  « It is important to consider the person as a whole in order to best respond to their problems, desires and needs. This also includes taking into account the person's environment, habits and abilities, with the aim of achieving well-being and a balanced life », she stresses.To take action, occupational therapists work in collaboration with all health professionals, giving them a broader, more holistic view of the whole person.

William O.