List of occupations
Supplementary material for OT Praxis Toolkit
Occupations or activities of everyday life: According to the World Federation of Occupational Therapy, “occupations refer to the everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life. Occupations include things people need to, want to and are expected to do.” The list below is a modified list informed by the fourth edition of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework published by the American Occupational Therapy Association (2020).
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
- Bathing/showering
- Dressing
- Eating and swallowing
- Feeding
- Functional mobility
- Personal hygiene and grooming
- Sexual activity
- Toileting and toilet hygiene
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
- Caregiving for others
- Care giving for pets
- Childcare and parenting
- Communication management
- Financial management
- Home establishment and management
- Meal preparation and cleanup
- Religious and spiritual expression
- Safety and emergency maintenance
- Shopping
- Transportation
Health Management
- Communication with the health care system
- Medication management
- Nutrition management
- Personal care device management
- Physical activity
- Social and emotional health promotion and maintenance
- Symptom and condition management
Rest and Sleep
- Rest
- Sleep preparation
- Sleep participation
Education
- Reading/writing for education
- Attending school/university
- Language learning
- Learning a skill or trade
- Online learning or self-directed study
- Participating in vocational training
- Reading/writing for education
- Tutoring others
Work
- Advocacy or activism work
- Digital content creation or online work
- Employment interests and pursuits
- Employment seeking and acquisition
- Job performance and maintenance
- Retirement preparation and adjustment
- Farming/gardening for livelihood
- Homemaking
- Informal economy participation Internships/placements
- Volunteer exploration
- Volunteer participation
Play
- Construction play
- Imaginative play
- Outdoor play
- Play therapy activities
- Social play
- Structured play
Leisure and Recreation
- Arts and crafts
- Attending community events/festivals
- Exercise
- Gardening (for pleasure)
- Hobbies
- Listening to music
- Outdoor activities
- Playing games
- Playing musical instruments
- Socializing with friends
- Sports
- Travel and tourism
- Watching TV/movies
Social Participation and Relationships
- Activism and political participation
- Community participation
- Dating and romantic relationships
- Family participation
- Friendships
- Mutual aid or community care
- Religious or spiritual gatherings (when leisure-focused)
- Social media participation
- Storytelling, mentoring, or teaching others informally
Spiritual, Cultural, and Identity-related Occupations
- Ancestral connection
- Ceremonies and rites of passage
- Cultural expression (music, dance, language)
- Identity affirmation
- Land-based practices
- Meditation or mindfulness practice
- Pilgrimage or spiritual journeys
- Rituals and ceremonies
- Storytelling or oral histories
Environmental or Survival-related Occupations
- Caring for land or animals (stewardship)
- Disaster preparedness
- Farming or hunting (subsistence)
- Firewood collection
- Gathering water/food
- Migration (voluntary or forced)
- Navigating systems (e.g., healthcare, legal)
- Shelter building/maintenance
Political and Economic Participation
- Bartering/trading
- Budgeting and financial planning
- Negotiating rent or contracts
- Policy advocacy
- Protesting
- Seeking asylum or social services
- Union participation
- Voting