About 50 occupational therapists work at UZ Gent, spread across the hospital's many departments. They support you during your hospital stay, but also on an outpatient basis.
- What do occupational therapists do?
- Multidisciplinary teams
- Occupational therapists on the wards
- More information
What do occupational therapists do?
Occupational therapy focuses on improving, maintaining and supporting quality of life. We guide you so that you can function as independently as possible: at home, at work, at school, in your leisure time.
We look at which activities (e.g. cycling or housework) and roles (e.g. parent or colleague) you want to reincorporate into everyday life. To get as complete a picture as possible of your abilities and limitations, we take tests or questionnaires. This allows us, based on the latest scientific developments, to give advice and draw up a treatment plan together with you. We take into account you as a person, your environment and your activities.
The occupational therapist:
- exercises various functions such as your arm-hand function and cognition.
- reviews and practises with you daily activities such as:
- personal care
- transfers such as getting in and out of bed, changing from a chair to a wheelchair
- household tasks
- leisure and play
- indoor and outdoor mobility such as climbing stairs, cycling, taking public transport
- weekly planning and time management
- helps you get back to work or school by e.g. training work or school skills and giving advice on workplace adaptations
- gives advice on method change so you can perform certain actions or activities in a different, safer and faster way. E.g. tying laces with one hand, back-friendly lifting, spreading out tasks so you don't get tired as quickly. We practise the method change together.
- gives advice on aids, home adaptations, bicycles, wheelchairs, etc. We practice those aids together. We also prepare the necessary documents for reimbursement.
The tasks of the occupational therapist vary depending on the department where you are treated. Occupational therapy treatments can be given individually or in groups, both in the room and in the exercise room.
Multidisciplinary teams
The occupational therapist is a paramedic and is a member of the department's multidisciplinary team. The occupational therapist works closely with other healthcare providers such as a physiotherapist, speech therapist, social worker, psychologist, dietician and doctor.
Your doctor prescribes and coordinates the occupational therapy treatment. The various healthcare providers consult regularly. They then evaluate your course of treatment and adjust your goals if necessary.
Occupational therapists on the wards
- Nursing wards:
- Adult Rehabilitation centre:
- Polytrauma and amputation
- Cerebral palsy
- Non-congenital brain injury
- Locomotor SP rehabilitation
- Children's Rehabilitation centre:
- Pediatric hospital nursing wards
- Outpatient rehabilitation
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic:
- Pulmonary Rehabilitation
- Back and neck rehabilitation
- Hand rehabilitation
- Wrist school
- General rehabilitation
- Geriatrics:
- Internal liaison team geriatrics
- Nursing ward
- Day hospital
- Psychiatry:
- Centre for visual rehabilitation and low vision
- Reference centres:
More information
- www.ergotherapie.be
On the website of the professional association Ergotherapie Vlaanderen you can find more information about occupational therapy. You can also look for an occupational therapist near you. - www.vaph.be
The Flemish Agency for Persons with a Disability offers budgets and allowances to persons with disabilities to finance their customised care and support. - www.vlaamsesocialebescherming.be
Anyone who needs an aid to get around due to chronic illness, old age or a disability can buy or rent a mobility aid via the Flemish social protection.
Flemish social protection also provides a care budget, a monthly allowance for people who need a lot of care.