About Occupational Therapy for Long Covid
Occupational Therapists are health and social care professionals who work in a variety of settings – in health, social care, the third sector, and independent practice.
Their core focus is on occupations – that is, the activities we need to, want to and have to do each day. They might use these occupations to help you develop specific skills, or provide education and support or with engagement in these activities as the desired outcome.
For example they can help people with Long Covid with:
- Fatigue Management, Pacing and Energy Conservation
- Cognition and brain fog
- Self-care, leisure or productive occupations
- Liaison with employers about reasonable adjustments at work
- Liaison with education providers about reasonable adjusments to education
- Self-management
- Self-advocacy
UK
You can speak to your GP about referral to an NHS Community occupational therapy service, or in some cases self-refer to Social Services (if you need aids and adpatations). Some Long Covid clinics have occupational therapists working in them too. You will often see occupational therapists or occupational therapy abbreviated to OT. You can also find independent occupational therapists here.
Occupational Therapy for Long Covid was founded in order to combine our lived experience of Long Covid and professional experience of occupational therapy to promote the value of occupational therapy for adults and children with Long Covid. We want to support the development of occupational therapy services and research that centres the lived experience for the benefit of the worldwide Long Covid community. The Founding Members include:
Jenny Ceolta-Smith Laura Maloney Helen Skiffington Kirsty Stanley
Our aims are to:
Create a useful resource for children, young people and adults with Long Covid to help them live well and engage in their everyday occupations.
Promote and collate the evidence on the value of occupational therapy in Long Covid services worldwide.
Connect occupational therapists/ergotherapists worldwide – both those who are living with Long Covid and those who are supporting people with Long Covid.
Support co-produced occupational therapy research into Long Covid.
Provide education and training to occupational therapists and occupational therapy students which centres the lived experience.
Work alongside other Long Covid peer support, advocacy and lived experience led groups such as Long Covid OT, Long Covid Physio, Long Covid Kids, Long Covid Support and Long Covid Work.
Demonstrate the contribution that occupational therapists living with Long Covid can offer.
Share our unique insights gained through living with Long Covid and engaging in our own everyday occupations.
Occupational Therapy for Long Covid - by Occupational Therapists with Long Covid 