We all want to see refugees safe, settled, participating
Participation in daily occupations, coping with life roles, active inclusion in the community - this is what we are all working for in one way or another.
It's a bold statement, but OTs suggest that this is what human rights "looks like" in a practical sense. That this is what health "looks like" in a practical sense.
After all, it's hard to imagine someone enjoying good health and human rights if they couldn't access or be supported to participate in the occupations they need and want to do for the simple dignity of surviving and thriving as a human.
Perhaps you've encountered occupational therapy in another arena; hospital rehabilitation after a relative had a stroke, home modifications or a young man returning home after a serious car accident, therapy for kids with special needs in schools, helping people with equipment or strategies to age at home long as possible, assisting people return to work after injury, enabling life skills to help reclaim life after mental illness. . .and so on. . .
The common denominator is expertise creating and enabling occupational opportunities - so despite whatever difficult situation, diagnosis, disease, disability, people can manage daily occupations, life roles, and active inclusion in the community.
That's why occupational therapy is well placed to complement work with refugees and asylum seekers - people have lost life roles, gained new life roles, have to find new ways of doing life roles, new ways of being healthy and connected to the community. . . and sometimes there are significant barriers to getting the life skills needed (if the barriers are straightforward or natural supports are enough to overcome them, you don't need an OT - sometimes though, enabling participation is complex and this is the typical business of OTs in the other arenas described).
Use the form below if your service would like to explore how to engage OTs.
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