Occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare profession focused on helping individuals of all ages participate in meaningful activities, or occupations, to promote health, well-being, and independence. Occupational therapists work with people who have physical, cognitive, developmental, or emotional challenges that interfere with their ability to perform everyday tasks.

Key aspects of occupational therapy include:

1. Assessment: Occupational therapists evaluate a person’s abilities, environment, and goals to identify areas of difficulty and develop personalized treatment plans.
2. Intervention: OT interventions may include activities to improve motor skills, sensory integration, cognitive abilities, self-care skills, and social participation. Therapists may also recommend adaptive equipment or environmental modifications to support independence.
3. Rehabilitation: Occupational therapists work with individuals recovering from injuries, surgeries, or illnesses to regain functional abilities and adapt to any permanent changes in their circumstances.
4. Mental Health: OT plays a crucial role in mental health settings, helping individuals manage conditions such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, or PTSD by addressing daily living skills, coping strategies, and social participation.
5. Pediatrics: Occupational therapists work with children with developmental delays, learning disabilities, sensory processing disorders, or other challenges to improve their participation in school, play, and social activities.
6. Geriatrics: In eldercare settings, occupational therapists help older adults maintain independence and quality of life by addressing issues related to mobility, falls prevention, memory loss, and activities of daily living.

Overall, occupational therapy aims to enhance individuals’ ability to engage in meaningful activities, improve their quality of life, and achieve their full potential in various aspects of daily life.

A goal is a desired result that a person or a system envisions, plans and commits to achieve: a personal or organizational desired end-point in some sort of assumed development. Many people endeavor to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.

It is roughly similar to purpose or aim, the anticipated result which guides reaction, or an end, which is an object, either a physical object or an abstract object, that has intrinsic value.

Goals can be long-term, intermediate, or short-term. The primary difference is the time required to achieve them.