RCOT launches campaign to help nation take positive steps towards better health 

For Occupational Therapy Week 2022, which runs from 7-13 November, the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) is launching its first-ever public health campaign, ‘Lift up your everyday with Occupational Therapy (OT) Life Hacks’.

RCOT’s campaign is designed to help people regain that motivation or overcome new or existing challenges to keep doing the things they love and need to do.

The nation’s health is being impacted by crisis after crisis, from the pandemic to the worsening economic situation, with access to services such as GP or hospital appointments hard to come by, the college highlights.

The facts speak for themselves: There were one million hospital admissions in 2019/20 where obesity was a factor; 55 percent of children and young people do not take part in enough physical activity; 13 percent fewer children born during the pandemic achieved a good level of development than those born before; and 3.7 million people in the UK are chronically lonely: one million more than before the pandemic.

Like all areas of healthcare, OTs have seen an increase in demand for their services. In two surveys of RCOT members, 85 percent of children’s OTs and 82 percent of OTs working in rehabilitation who responded said there had been an increase in demand for their services over the previous 12 months and six months, respectively.

That is why OTs from around the UK are bringing their expert advice to the nation in the form of ‘OT Life Hacks’: expert advice to help people take small, positive steps to lift up their everyday lives.

Each day during Occupational Therapy Week, new life hacks have been added to the campaign website and shared across social media using #OTHacks.

The first series of hacks included advice for elderly people on maintaining muscle tone, which is important for preventing falls and maintaining independence, and tips for everyone on how to develop healthier habits and stick to them.

OTs have also been providing advice for parents, such as encouraging ‘messy play’, to help boost self-confidence in young children, many of whom were deprived of social engagement due to lockdown restrictions.

Young people can benefit from specialist advice on how to learn new skills or manage stressful situations such as preparing for exams or managing their mental health.

Karin Orman, Director of Practice and Innovation at RCOT, said: “Often, it’s the things we love to do which can most benefit our health and wellbeing, such as a walk with a friend, dancing or having the family round for a home cooked meal. That’s why our advice is practical, achievable and meant to be fun.

“We hope this campaign will encourage everyone to take steps towards improving their health which, in turn, will help reduce pressures on health and social care services for illnesses and conditions.

“From increasing our activity levels to ideas to improve our mental health, we can all take steps towards preventing worsening health conditions in the choices we make.

“Those choices, from hobbies and exercise to food choices and opportunities to socialise, have been limited in recent times, and this has had a detrimental impact on many of our lives. But now, many of these limitations have gone and we believe it’s the right time to refocus our attention on making positive changes to improve our health and well-being.

“Occupational therapists have the expertise and knowledge to help people get more out of life – and now we’re bringing examples of that knowledge directly to the nation.”

RCOT recently wrote an open letter to the Minister for Schools and Childhood arguing that every school in the UK needs to have an OT. The letter further notes that equipment and adaptation services require investment and should be streamlined to minimise delays in provision.