OT's and Religion

    One might wonder how occupational therapy and the multitude of different religions and cultures may be relative to one another. As a future occupational therapist, I will come in contact with and treat a wide variety of patients, all of whom will have different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. I feel that it is important as future OT's to know some information about these unique cultures so that we can treat our patients with the highest level of culturally sensitive care. For example, in the Buddhist religion, the Dhamma or Dharma is a treatment plan that one must follow in order to be cured of illness. This could hinder or help an individuals prognosis if they are unsure if the treatment plans align with their beliefs. Another example is from the religion Hinduism- individuals who believe in Hinduism believe that Moksha (liberation) is the goal of humanity. This can only be achieved through tuning into the Brahman within oneself. They also believe in the Caste system which has 4 different classes within it- the priest caste, the Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas, and the Shudras. As an OT, you might cross paths with an individual who might fall into one of these different classes and it would affect how they would like to be treated. If someone in one class views an intervention as being from a different class, they will not perform the intervention, thus hindering occupational performance. Finally, I will talk about is the Islamic religion. In this religion there are 5 pillars of faith that one must follow. One of these pillars is known as Salat. This is where an individual must pray 5 times per day with each prayer lasting for a few minutes. This could affect ones ability to perform a home exercise plan or affect their availability for therapy sessions. Each activity and session would have to be planned around their scheduled prayer time in order to achieve maximum occupational performance. These are only a few religions among many others that an OT should be familiar with in order to provide the best possible care for clients of all different backgrounds.