I am starting this discussion for potential collaboration with peers/colleagues coming from fields within and beyond occupational therapy and occupational science.
I am looking into submitting an abstract at the Occupational Science Europe Conference 2023 (Denmark)--and eventually publishing it as a paper--about how occupational therapy, as a profession and as a service, for the middle class population?
I have parked this idea for two years now but for 2023, it will be nice to illuminate about the potential exclusivity of occupational therapy to middle class professionals, students, and end users. Whilst middle class means differently from various perspectives and cultures, it is defined conceptually as a socioeconomic status in-between the upperclass and the working class. This class is constituted of people who are educated (with higher education degrees), employed in stable jobs, have a disposable income (due to multiple income sources) to afford minor luxuries to live a privileged lifestyle, and have a mindset of achieving quality of life and improving lifestyles. This group of people are also the ones who can afford services such as occupational therapy either by health insurance systems or out-of-pocket expenses.
More than merely speculating that the middle class (and above) are the only ones who can afford occupational therapy services, especially in low-middle income countries, there is a need to create a tangible evidence base to see if occupational therapy, as a profession, is true to its tenets of supporting ALL those in need of health and social care? Or is occupational therapy just available for a chosen few?
If you think you can contribute, please send me an email: [email protected]
Thank you.
Michael Sy PhD
Dear Michael,
I am from Brazil, and here OT is part of the public health system, and largely aimed at working class, poor and marginalized populations.
The middle class also seeks OT mainly in private practice and, in fact, there are differences between how they access OT (and how OT evaluates and respond to their social needs) depending on social class. It looks like a great idea to analyze it.
We are starting a research that may be of interest to you, please see if it matches your interests, and maybe we can talk more?
Here the project page: https://www.researchgate.net/project/International-Collaboration-to-analyze-a-social-occupational-therapy-practices-systematization-proposal-based-on-historical-and-dialectical-materialism
No, occupational therapy is available to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Depending on the individual's specific needs, occupational therapy may be covered by insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, or other programs. There are also many specialized programs that provide free or low-cost services for those in need.
Every developing country have a different story like themself. If we wish to put it in a standard scale we will be failed to understand the actual scenario. From my experiace still rehabilitation services is a expensive option hardly people from low economic can reach.
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