Occupational Therapy

After an injury or illness, you may need to relearn how to perform daily activities — whether it’s brushing teeth, cooking meals or doing the laundry. That’s where occupational therapy comes in. Occupational therapists help you regain the skills you need for daily activities — improving your quality of life and building confidence along the way.

At Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, our occupational therapists are licensed and certified, and many have advanced degrees. They work alongside other clinicians — including physicians, nurses, physical therapists and speech-language therapists — to ensure coordinated, individualized treatment plans.

Our occupational therapists provide care with patience, creativity and passion by:

• Helping you relearn everyday skills or adapt to new ways of completing tasks.
• Supporting you as you gain more independence with your daily activities and routine, such as showering, dressing and eating.
  • Many patients participate in therapy in our activities of daily living (ADL) studios. These unique spaces look and function like a home — equipped with a kitchen, living room, bathroom and laundry room — to help you regain and refine daily living skills such as cooking, opening cabinets and drawers, bathing, doing laundry, etc.
• Working on arm strength and coordination, thinking skills and safety awareness.
• Introducing assistive devices to make your living environment and activities more accessible — and ensuring you and your family members have proper training.
• Working closely with you, your family, and/or caregivers and our multidisciplinary care teams to ensure holistic and goal-oriented care.

Occupational therapy is a key component of the three levels of care offered at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

• Inpatient: Many patients start their recovery journey in inpatient care at our hospital in Chicago, with intensive occupational therapy after a life-changing injury or illness such as brain injury, cancer, limb loss, spinal cord injury and stroke.
• DayRehab: Often, these patients continue physical therapy in DayRehab at locations in Chicago and the suburbs. DayRehab is an option for those who no longer need hospitalization but still require intensive, coordinated rehabilitation care as they transition back to their community and home life.
• Outpatient: We offer a wide range of occupational therapy services on an outpatient basis at locations in Chicago and the suburbs. Patients can continue their recovery from an injury or illness, and we also offer short courses of expert, focused occupational therapy for conditions such as chronic pain; hand therapy (upper-limb rehabilitation for the hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder); neurological conditions; Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders; and more.