Occupational Therapist Careers in Senior Living: What the Work Looks Like Outside a Hospital

Career Guidance
An older woman using a resistance band for leg exercises with assistance from a smiling young male healthcare professional in blue scrubs, in a rehabilitation or senior care setting.

Occupational therapists or “OTs” help people do the things that matter to them — and in senior living, that work takes on particular meaning. For OTs and OT Assistants (OTAs) considering where to build their careers, aging services is a setting worth understanding beyond the basics.

What OT practice looks like in senior living

Occupational therapists in senior living communities work with residents to maintain or regain the ability to perform activities of daily living: dressing, bathing, grooming, meal preparation, using adaptive equipment, and navigating their environment safely. After a hip fracture, a stroke, or a period of illness-related deconditioning, an OT designs the intervention that helps a resident return to their previous level of function — or adapt to a new one with dignity.

OTAs carry out treatment plans under the supervision of a licensed OT, working directly with residents on the skills and exercises the plan calls for. Both roles are in genuine demand across Minnesota’s aging services communities.

The relationship and time distinction

In outpatient or acute care settings, occupational therapists often see patients for brief, high-volume sessions with limited context about their daily lives. In senior living, you have time. You can observe how a resident actually moves through their space. You can learn what activities matter most to them — not just clinically, but personally — and build a treatment plan that respects those priorities.

That kind of contextual practice is closer to the vision of OT that most students enter the field with.

Compensation and demand

OTs in aging services earn $32–42/hr, with OTAs earning $27–34/hr — ranges that are competitive with outpatient settings and often include stronger benefits packages. Demand is consistent and growing as Minnesota’s population ages.

The Caring Careers Start Here resource library includes scholarship and professional development resources for therapy professionals in Minnesota.

How to explore this path

Visit the Therapy & Rehabilitation pathway page and use the Employer Match tool to connect with communities near you that have active therapy programs. When you reach out, ask specifically about caseload structure, documentation expectations, and how the therapy team collaborates with nursing and social services.