"Most people live, whether physically, intellectually or morally, in a very restricted circle of their potential being. Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater our vital resources are than we had supposed."
- William James

People who have an occupational therapist to help them discover vital resources after an emergency or crisis are fortunate indeed - for these health care professionals are nothing, if not resourceful. They have to be when their mission is to help people develop "skills for the job of living."

That's the American Occupational Therapy Association's slogan for this year's observance of national OT month and it's no exaggeration. In talking to a dozen or so occupational therapists, I was continually amazed by their broad interpretation of the word "occupation." Much more than getting people back to work, "occupation" may mean using your voice to command a computer to pay bills online, moving from the bed to the bath after a hip fracture or making lunch for your son when one arm hardly functions.

Helping restore people's lives takes many forms. Long before her patients are even aware of her presence, Tara Grimes, OTR/L, who works in the intensive care unit at Shepherd Center in Atlanta, is working to assess their conditions and devise a plan of therapy.

"Many of our patients come directly from traumatic accidents and the emergency room," Grimes said. "They're nonverbal, may be on ventilators for breathing, and it takes all your evaluation skills to see what's going on. You learn to fly by the seat of your pants and get really good at reading lips."

Sheri Roberts, OTR/L, CHT, is a certified hand therapist at Piedmont Hospital's Center for Rehabilitation.

"When hands are your specialty, you see everything - cumulative trauma, mutilation, broken bones, wounds, arthritis, carpel tunnel syndrome and post-stroke paralysis - and you use many therapy modalities, like manipulation, exercise, heat, cold and electric shock," Roberts said.

It's always a hands-on job, but that's what Roberts finds satisfying - the one-on-one interaction. "Difficult patients make the job fun. They challenge you and you learn so much from them," she said.

Her latest tool is a computerized program that takes the boredom out of repetitive exercise. The patient may be flexing his wrist or strengthening her grip, but on the screen, they are playing soccer, catch or holding up the weight of the world.

"They love it, and we do, too, because it motivates them to work harder and get stronger," Roberts said. You'll catch a glimpse of other OTs at work in this month's issue, including one therapist/counselor who doubles as a stand-up comedian.

Join us, too, as we celebrate major milestones for Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and Piedmont Hospital. Both are 100 years old this year. For information about special centennial events and exhibits, see www.nursing.emory.edu and www.piedmonthospital.org.

The Piedmont diploma nursing school, which operated from 1905 to 1983, will hold a reunion June 10-12 in Atlanta. For information or to register, call 404-605-3504.