Ines Lawlor, senior occupational therapist at Cheeverstown House, Templeogue, Dublin, enjoys the variety her job offers
I am one of three occupational therapists working at Cheeverstown House. Each of us works with the adults with learning disabilities who live here and those who come to the day centres and vocational training units.
We also work with the children with moderate and severe learning disabilities who come to the school and pre-school here as well as those children with learning disabilities who are attending mainstream schools.
My working day is usually from 9am to 5pm but I often work a bit later than that. I begin my day by checking e-mails and post, sending out appointment letters or dealing with orders for specialised equipment. From about 10.15am to noon, I have one-to-one sessions or assessments with adults.
For instance, if a client is having difficulty managing an every day activity, eg washing and dressing, my work would involve providing specialised equipment or recommending changes to the environment to suit the individual.
Alternatively, I might work directly with the person to build up their ability to cope with the sensory experiences involved, eg touch, movement, sounds, etc.
In some sessions, I work with a speech therapist on ways to help clients access communication aids by altering desk height, switch access, etc. We also have multidisciplinary feeding clinics where we develop independence skills using specialised utensils and seating. Occupational therapy is all about developing skills that enhance independence.
We have meetings at noon. This could be a team meeting about a client, a meeting with the other occupational therapists or a client-related meeting. I have lunch between 1pm and 2pm.
In the afternoons, I have two to three sessions with children in mainstream schools. The focus is usually on supporting areas of the school curriculum that the child has difficulties with. This might be handwriting or parts of the physical education curriculum.
I also work with children with co-ordination or attention difficulties and sensory integration needs. Linking in with special needs assistants and resource teachers is all part of this work. I am treasurer for the Paediatric Special Interest Group (PSIG) of Occupational Therapists of Ireland affiliated to the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland. Through this, I am involved in the PSIG's projects to improve links between paediatric occupational therapists (OTs) nationwide and the Department of Education to develop services to children with disabilities in mainstream schools.
For the last hour or so, I write up notes from the sessions, deal with phone calls and administration. There is also often an urgent referral during the day in which I may have to, for example, find more supportive seating for an adult resident or adjust a wheelchair.
Ideally, I'd prefer fewer meetings and more clinical work. But the balance allows more time to reflect and plan sessions. Also, it is important to work with other therapists and keep up with the current thinking on the role of occupational therapy for people with disabilities. Although I'm very busy and there are lots of demands on my time, it's a varied and rewarding job to see people gain new skills and contribute to increasing people's independence .
In conversation with Sylvia Thompson