Occupational Therapy Month: Carolina Pines

April is Occupational Therapy Month, but what is occupational therapy? Who needs it, and how is it different than physical therapy?

We had the pleasure to interview Rosemary Morgan-Lee, Carolina Pines Physical, and Occupational Therapy Director. We learned more about occupational therapy and the tremendous strides she and her team have taken to provide exceptional care for the individuals in the surrounding community. Rosemary Morgan-Lee graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Physical Therapy in 1990 and has practiced for over 30 years. In August of 2019, she started her career at Carolina Pines. When she first began with Carolina Pines, they did not provide occupational therapy. Rosemary saw fit to provide this service to the community. With the upper management's support, she recruited therapists with vast skill sets to provide care for everyone from pediatrics to dementia patients. This group of therapists now covers a wide range of specialties, including but not limited to pelvic floor and pediatrics, scoliosis, vertigo, dry needling, lymphodema, postop ortho, traumatic brain injury, hands, and wellness. They are constantly changing and learning to meet the needs of the community.

But what exactly is occupational therapy?

The dictionary definition of occupational therapy is "a branch of health care that helps people of all ages who have physical, sensory, or cognitive problems. OT can help them regain independence in all areas of their lives." Occupational therapy is all about regaining independence. Rosemary explained it simply with comparison to physical therapy, " PT helps you get there, and OT is what you do when you get there." Physical therapy focuses on gross motor skills like walking, whereas occupational therapy helps you with fine motor skills like writing your name after a hand injury, for example. Carolina Pines and hospitals worldwide relied on Occupational therapy with COVID patients sit up and work on low level ADLS (activites of daily living) before hysical therapy comes in to work on out of bed activities. There is a lot of overlap between physical, occupational, and speech therapies, with occupational therapy in the middle. They help people learn how to feed, dress, wash, open a jar; the list is truly endless. Some situations like COVID require inpatient services, but Rosemary's department also serves the community with a walk-in welcomed (with referral) outpatient office. This office sees everyone from young children with autism with sensory desensitization skills to dementia patients, training to use a simple system helping them take their daily medication independently or relearning to write a check and help them with financial management. Occupational therapists help give people the skills, methods, and tools they need to live their most independent life no matter the obstacles life has put in front of them. For more information on Carolina Pines’ Occupational Therapy visit cprmc.com or call 843.383.5370.