Occupational Therapy for the Homeless

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 Occupational Therapy for the Homeless 

Quinn Tyminski: TEDxStLouisWomen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeeSM1zINu8 

                                                                        Photo by Dreamstime.com
This is a Ted Talk by Quinn Tyminski about homelessness and occupational therapy. How are those related? Homeless people do not have occupations, therefore how would they need therapy? Tyminski did an amazing job explaining it. 

She started out by explaining homelessness as a maze. It is easy to get in, but difficult to get out. Each wall is a hardship in life, making it more confusing. If you had directions, or a hammer to break down the walls, the maze would be much easier to go through. These tools are what occupational therapy could provide. There are lots of shelters and assisted living that people could go to. But then what? They have to do skills they haven't done in months or even years. That is where OT comes in. 

Tyminksi then tells us the story of her client Mary. Mary entered into a program because she was  homeless. She was given a room and a bed, but she did not have basic skills to be a successful citizen. She had no heat or air, lack of sleep , no healthy foods, and no doctor. All of these setbacks were making it difficult for her to function. She was in a daze form lack of sleep, sick because of her diabetes, and not getting proper nutrients because the food given was bad. Her case manager who introduced her to Quinn Tyminski, an occupational therapy practitioner, to help her rebuild her skills. They gave her tools for cooking, using technology to pay bills, caring for diabetes, and to sleep better in her environment.

Homeless people are trying to survive, and therefore have no time for skills for their occupations. Half homeless population have a brain injury, and many have mental illnesses and substance abuse. When they do get housing, they do not know what to do. Having a home does not equal health. They deserve occupational justice just like everyone else. Occupational therapy cannot end homelessness, but we can help provide skills to prevent it, or to reintroduce someone into their brand new functional life. 


YouTube. (2022). YouTube. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeeSM1zINu8.




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