Ανάγκες των εργοθεραπευτών στις απαιτήσεις του 21ου αιώνα

Abstract

The health and well-being of people is paramount to the demands of the 21st century. Occupational therapists as health scientists can engage with the widest range of demands of the 21st century and offer knowledge through their unique perspective, which is that of occupational participation. The present paper aims to conduct a review of relevant scientific articles and books, which allows a range of demands for the 21st century to be found, with growing professional and scientific interest both for the Science of Occupational Therapy and other specialties. For this purpose, was made an attempt to write down the needs of occupational therapists, which relate specifically to the areas of: 1) Cultural diversity, 2) Aging, 3) Technology, 4) Health economics, 5) Climate change and Sustainability, 6) Occupational Balance and 7) Education. At the same time, the concept of occupational justice has played a key role in the elaboration of the present thesis, aiming to understand the political role of occupational therapists in the 21st century. In the first chapter of this paper, the above demands were attempted to be analyzed and described. Then, in the next chapter, an attempt was made to identify the specific needs of occupational therapists, related to these demands, while in the last chapter was emphasized the importance of the field of education and research, as a factor in changing the theories and practices of occupational therapists in the 21st century. The most important conclusion that emerged was that occupational therapists have a duty to identify in their practice the demands of the 21st century and to educate future generations of occupational therapists in ways that ensure occupational justice.