Owl Be Your OT

Multiple Sclerosis-Breea's Story  For my last neuro note, I wanted to watch something that had to do with a personal story and reflection. In class, we watched a personal YouTube video that was about a young girl that had Myasthenia Gravis. That video was very touching to me and it made me remember that life can really change in a moment. With this video in mind, I looked for a similar video that had to do with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I came across a video also about a young girl who had her life changed in a matter of hours. I chose this particular video because I wanted to see how she would overcome her diagnosis and live a normal life.  Breea was a normal girl who was living out her life like teenagers should. She was a high school student and a cheerleader at her school. At just 18 years old, she was diagnosed with severe onset Multiple Sclerosis, in December of her senior year. She was completely paralyzed on her left side and it all happened within a 24 hour ...

A. Who can benefit from this intervention? Diagnosis: Multiple Sclerosis (MS)  In addition, clients with ADHD, Dementia, a Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain  Injury, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis can benefit from this intervention. Population: Clients at any age or clients that enjoy crafts can benefit from this intervention. B. Problem/Barrier/Challenge Experienced by Target Population  Upper and lower body weakness Dexterity deficits  Cognitive deficits  Memory loss C. Description New Products  Cotton Ball Wreath This will help the client gain upper and lower body strength while engaging in a fun and enjoyable craft. Cotton Ball Under a Cup While observing the mixing up of 3 cups, the client can improve his/her memory when asked to identify the cup with the cotton ball underneath it.  Colored Cotton Balls  The client can also improve his/her memory by rearranging 5 different colored cotton balls into their or...

Thomas White: Tourette Does the Talking  I was scrolling through the list of topic ideas and when I got to the TED Talk section I noticed this particular one and immediately showed interest in watching it. I've always enjoyed TED Talks and i've been watching them for years, but this one is by far my favorite one. When I first saw the words Tourette in the title, I thought it was going to be someone simply talking about what Tourette Syndrome is, but when I read the description, I saw that the speaker was the one who has Tourette Syndrome. I thought to myself, "now here is a person that has confidence in himself." I chose the video to see how a person that has Tourette Syndrome deals with speaking to an audience and how he would react to any outbursts he may have during his speech. I know what Tourette Syndrome is, but I wanted to do some background research to make sure I fully understood it before I watched the TED Talk. (Even though I knew that Thomas would e...

Rachel did her case study on Allie Calhoun, who is a character from one of my favorite movies/books, The Notebook. When Allie was first diagnosed, she quickly accepted it and began writing a book that entailed details about her life, and experiences with her husband, Noah. I think this is really important because then there would be something to help remind Allie of her life before Alzheimer's, when she progressed too much for her to remember on her own. During her lifetime, Allie enjoyed listening to music, playing piano, reading, painting, and spending time with Noah. Some of the reasons Allie wanted to seek OT intervention was to help out with her daily routines when it came to taking medication and developing a comfort zone when she had panic attacks. I liked the ideas that Rachel had for Allie when it came to her OT. She suggested that Allie be involved in a program called painting to music, some activities that involve cooking and reading, and possibly a dance class with Noah...

Richard Pryor was 46 when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). He was a standup comedian and had a very difficult life prior to his diagnosis. He was an avid drinker and smoker, he suffered 2 heart attacks within a 13 year period, and he also had triple-bypass surgery. In addition to his personal health problems, he also attempted suicide shortly before he was diagnosed with MS. He was eventually put in an electric wheelchair and his declination called for constant care by a family member. One of the long term goals that Meghan had for Pryor was to perform a 30 minute stand up comedian act while in his electric wheelchair. Because MS causes demyelination of myelinated axons, it also causes issues with muscles of the throat, which can ultimately have an effect on Pryor's ability to project his voice to an audience. Meghan then added that she would have him do vocal muscle exercises which include attempting to speak and yell at different vocal pitches.  It's horrible t...

Huntington's Disease is a neurodegenerative disease that effects the basil ganglia of the brain. It is a genetic disease that effects 50% of the people whose family members have it. Typically, it occurs in people who are 35-55 years old, but the woman, Heather Alimossy, in Tim's case study, was only 19. Since her mom had HD, Heather wanted to get tested and unfortunately, she tested positive for the defected chromosome. Tim mentioned that although Heather was diagnosed, she did not show signs or symptoms right away. Since HD effects a person's balance, posture, and memory, some of the OT interventions would be working with the Heather's balance, organization skills, making lists, and helping her to explore other hobbies. Tim would help her to explore other hobbies because her love of dirt biking will not be a realistic hobby forever. Even though HD is not a very common disease around the world, it is common within families with the gene. I find it so interesting that...

Siddharthan Chandran: Can the damaged brain repair itself?  In his TED Talk, Siddharthan talks about the different diseases that can affect the brain and what the individual diseases do to different aspects of the brain. Throughout his talk, he showed illustrations that reveal what happens to the brain when a person has a disease such as Alzheimer's disease or Multiple Sclerosis. After informing his audience that there are over 35 million people living with a brain disease, he goes on to explain that the annual cost is more than one percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP), at 70 billion dollars. Siddharthan also goes on to explain that these numbers are not slowing down because people are living longer, and therefore, these age-related diseases will only continue to grow. Siddharthan also went into the topic of stem cells and how they can regenerate themselves or become specialized cells, in order to be used in whatever part of the body might need them. I de...

Overall, I enjoyed the Foundations class because I felt like I learned a lot of concepts that will help me be a better occupational therapist. I learned more about what kind of person it takes to be a successful OT and what I can do to better myself. When I tell people that I am going to be an OT, they always tell me that I have a good personality and mind set to be a good OT. Of course, it is nice for others to tell you that you will do great in the career of your choice, but it's an even better feeling when you can believe it for yourself. Honestly, I haven't always believed in my capability to be a great OT because I'm not the best student academically. I do well on assignments, I pay attention and I like to engage in class, but sometimes my test grades don't always reflect my knowledge, in the best way. Now I know that sounds stupid; just because you don't get a perfect score on a test, doesn't mean you didn't learn anything. But in reality, I have learn...

In his early 30s, Rowdy Gains, an olympic goal medalist, was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS typically begins in the lower extremities and progresses towards the upper extremities. After Rowdy Gains was diagnosed, his progression from paralysis was slow, but progressive. For his occupational therapy, Rowdy went to the pool a lot to help him regain some of his function. The pool was a good place for Rowdy to do occupational therapy because he was an olympic swimmer. After a year, Rowdy progressed even further and was able to regain his function in a lot of ADLs such as brushing his teeth and tying his shoe laces. Something I thought was even more incredible was that Rowdy was able to qualify for the 1996 summer Olympics. Though he decided not to compete, he was still able to regain more function than what was originally thought. Maggie shared with us that some people do end up dying from GBS because of respiratory issues. I believe the main reason Rowdy made such an i...

From day one, I knew that I would enjoy foundations. Even though it was a lot of information, I enjoyed learning the gist of the field of occupational therapy and what I can do to better my future as an OT. A few things that I enjoyed learning about include the OTPF, the different organizations that focus on OT, the OT process, and the performance patterns of OT. But I think my favorite thing to learn about was the KAWA Model. I'm kind of a nerdy person who likes metaphors and the whole concept is a metaphor, so naturally, I enjoyed learning about it. It was interesting to learn about how the river represents the "flow" of life, the water represents the shape we must take in society, the walls and floor represent the client's context, and the rocks represent the things that block our flow through life. I like things like this because it not only helps to put things into perspective for the OT, but it can also help to shape understanding for the patient. Overall, I enj...

In our foundations class this past Tuesday, we talked more about therapeutic relationships, which is the relationship between the occupational therapy practitioner and the client. It is important to have a good relationship with your clients because then they will have a better reason to trust you and your overall judgement. There are several key aspects that go into building a good therapeutic relationship with your client. Some include, following through with intervention plans, being on time to appointments, honesty, putting the client first, using clear client friendly language, showing empathy, and demonstrating active listening. Another quality that is beneficial, in my opinion, is having the capability of humor. Clients don't want to come to an OT session that's dry and boring. I'm sure a client would much rather come an appointment where the air is warm and friendly, and where it is perfectly acceptable to be yourself and laugh at yourself sometimes.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a degenerative disease that can be caused by things such as a chemical imbalance, environmental factors, and even genetics. Lauren did her case study on Lou Gehrig, who was diagnosed with ALS when he was 36. ALS was not as well known before Lou Gehrig was diagnosed, but it is because of him that ALS is more popularly known throughout society. Lou Gehrig played for the New York Yankees, and started to notice signs and symptoms while he would be playing a game or doing simple daily activities such as tying his shoes. Shortly after being diagnosed, Lou Gehrig passed away only 3 years later. I liked Lauren's OT intervention ideas in order to give Lou Gehrig the best life possible and I definitely think he would have benefitted from occupational therapy, if he would have had the chance to receive intervention. Overall, I enjoyed learning about Lauren's case study because I am a huge baseball fan and it made me want to learn and find out more a...

Kim Gorgens Ted Talk: Protecting the brain against concussion  When I came across this Ted Talk, seeing the word concussion sparked my interest and I knew it would be a video that I could relate to and enjoy listening to. I have never sustained a concussion myself, but I have always been interested in concussions and what effect they have on the brain in the long run. Concussions have been taken lightly in the past and now that more research has been done on them, they are a growing cause of concern for the healthcare field. Kim Gorgens says in her Ted Talk that concussions and their longterm effects are not established quite yet, but it has been studied that concussions can be the leading factors in multiple mental issues.  Kim talked a lot about her child and how she feels that she is overprotective of him and his actions. I don't have children yet, but I know that in the future I will be able to relate. When I was a kid, my mom forced me to wear a helmet any time ...

Today we discussed culture and how it's important to immerse yourself, as an occupational therapist, in as much culture as you can. Sometimes, without intention, we catch ourselves being racist, bias, or prejudice towards people we don't know. We learned that our society has moved from it's original "cultural acceptance," to "cultural sensitivity," and now to "cultural competence." In general, this means that we have gone from simply accepting and dealing with someone else's culture, to immersing ourselves in that person's culture and working with them to meet a shared goal. It's interesting to see how much our cultural ways have changed over the years, and how different other people's cultures can be from our own. Being open minded and willing to be accept all cultures, different from your own, is important and can be beneficial throughout your OT career.

Today we were instructed to look up specialty areas of occupational therapy and I was surprised to see just how many there are. There were 9 listed on the AOTA website that included different board certifications required for different areas such as gerontology, mental health, pediatrics, low vision, and school systems, just to name a few. But I decided to further my research and I learned that are many more emerging areas within the field of occupational therapy. Some of them include childhood obesity, autism in adults, and oncology care. I think it's really interesting and awesome that there are so many more certifications and specialties out there. It just goes to show how much the field of occupational therapy is growing and how important our field really is to so many areas of life.

There are several certifications that are required if you are interested in a certain area of practice in the field of occupational therapy. One of the specialties within the field of occupational therapy is pediatrics (BCP) and one of the certifications within the area of pediatrics is for the NICU. I think it is extremely important to have a certification in order to work in the neonatal ICU. Not only would you be working with new born babies, but you would be working with premature life. It's an extremely important job title and something that needs to be taken seriously. Parents are trusting you to help their premature baby find new life and successfully graduate from the NICU. Being a NICU occupational therapist should not be an entry-level job and you should have a few years of practice before beginning to think about going into that specific specialty. This plays into AOTA's vision 2025 because even though it might be seen as just working with babies in the NICU, it is...

Camille talked to us about Sherri Woodbridge, who is an author. She was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease when she was 44, but began showing signs of it when she was in her 30s. I enjoyed learning from Camille and I felt that she really knew her case well. I also liked her powerpoint because it was cheery and positive, which I believed represented the way Sherri felt about her life, despite her diagnosis. I thought it was a good idea that Sherri created a blog in order to share her thoughts and feelings about her diagnosis. I felt like Camille did a good job of explaining the case to us and it was obvious that she liked doing research about Sherri. She shared with us that Sherri did not have OT, but that she did have PT. Camille also shared with us some of the suggestions she would have for OT, such as adaptive equipment to help her type, along with hand strengthening exercises.

Today, we did our activity analysis lab and I highly enjoyed it. I was in a group where I learned how to paint toenails (which I already knew how to do, obviously), make a tissue paper flower, theraputty, and a sensory balloon. It was interesting to see how each person taught the group and how they interacted with everyone. My activity was how to sew on a button. Honestly, I thought it might be difficult for some people because sewing isn't typically something that comes naturally. But I was proven wrong. Everyone in my group was able to follow my brochure and sew on the button perfectly. I was even told that I was a good teacher, which was nice to hear. I was nervous to teach my activity because I wanted everyone to enjoy it and be successful. In my opinion, sewing is an important skill to have because it can definitely come in handy in life, whether it's for personal reasons or for occupational therapy practice. Sewing can be used as a relaxation technique or for the purposes...

When I was younger, there was something that my mom would always tell me and it had to do with rolling with the punches and accepting what life had to offer you. She would say "you can't cry over spilled milk." What she was trying to tell me was that I can't dwell on the things that I can't change. Of course, when you're 5, spilling your milk felt like the world was coming to an end, and as you get older, you experience more and more things that make you feel like your whole world is crashing down. Of course, you'll always go through difficult situations, but you learn how to cope with them, even if it seems like it takes forever. But sometimes, life throws you a huge curveball and you're put in a situation where you have 2 choices: learn from it or let it completely take you over.  The talk from Fletcher Cleaves was definitely one of the highlights of OT school, so far. It was one of those defining moments that reassured me that I was in the right ...

I really enjoyed discussing my case study with my group because it gave me an opportunity to share John's story with interested listeners. I was a little nervous because there were a few questions I didn't quite know the answer to. I wanted to do John justice because he was such an important person from my childhood and because he had such an incredible outlook on life. It was interesting to think about the different ways that an occupational therapist could contribute to getting John back to a life that was as normal as possible. I liked that my case study sparked interest in my group and that they asked questions. Even though I didn't know answers to all of them, it was nice that there was curiosity within the group. Overall, I really enjoyed doing my case study, not only because I learned something, but because I'm glad I could share an experience about a person who meant a lot to me. with a group of my peers.

  Me Before You Me Before You is an enticing story about a young woman named Lou Clark who works as a caregiver for a man named Will Traynor. Will, who was once a rambunctious risk taker, sustains a spinal cord injury that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. At first, Will is bitter towards Lou and doesn't treat her with much respect. But over time, Will and Lou's feelings and respect for one another grow into a romance. But unfortunately, the news of Will's plan to participate in assisted suicide doesn't sit well with Lou, who devises a plan to change Will's mind.  I read Me Before You this past October and after I finished it I just kind of laid there for a second and asked myself "Is that really how the book just ended?". I couldn't believe it. I got my hopes up because *spoiler alert*, I didn't think he'd go through with it. Don't get me wrong, it was an incredible book, I just thought that the love Will and...

Today we talked more about the importance of documentation and what goes into a successful documentation note. There are 5 segments to documentation which include who, what, when, where, and why, which contain important information about the client and the general therapy session. One segment that was discussed in more detail today was the "what" aspect of documentation. There are many things that fulfill this question such as basic information about the client, information about the assessment and intervention, and also the observation that occurred in the clinic. In addition, we briefly talked about the importance of error correction. It is important to correct documentation errors in a specific way in order to be sure nothing is covered up. If you find an error in a printed document, you must mark through it, correct it, and initial it, without completely scratching through the error.

Throughout our class meetings, we have heard several times about the importance of documentation, which is recording the therapy session between the occupational therapist and the client. Documentation may include progress of the client, interventions that were completed that day, issues the client might be facing, etc. This is essential in part of being a successful occupational therapist. It's also important to document, in order to show proof of a therapy session, just in case it needs to be referenced. Documentation should be done after seeing the client, so information is not forgotten throughout the day and not simply drawn from memory. Documentation is also important for insurance and liability purposes. If a client you work with is suing for legal reasons, your documentation is important for lawyers, judges, and even jurors. For example, if something that happened during a therapy session is referenced in court, your documentation as the client's occupational therapist ...

When you talk to a client or hand them paperwork to fill out, you don't always think about whether or not the client can understand you or can read the papers that they have been given. A common assumption in healthcare is that the client is on the same level as the physician when it comes to reading or language comprehension. In actuality, there are many clients that have less than a 4th grade reading level. I did not realize how much of an issue health literacy is in our world. It is always important to talk to a client in user friendly words and explain terms in a way that is universally easy to understand. It is not considered dumbing the language down, but rather giving the patient a peace of mind to understand exactly what the physician is saying. For example, in one of the videos that was shown in class, the client knew that he had high blood pressure, but when his physician used the word hypertension, he had no idea what the word meant. Therefore, it is important for the ph...

After learning more about traumatic brain injuries and non-traumatic brain injuries, it's crazy to think about just how much impact they can have on a person. In a single moment, a person's life can be changed forever because of a car accident, a fall, or a blow to the head by an external force. Though some are more severe than others, a brain injury is definitely a serious incident. One interesting thing we learned about today was aphasia. There are two common types of aphasia, which cause issues with language, whether the issue is understanding what is being spoken to them, getting words confused and not realizing it, or the inability to get words out. I find it crazy how one little part of the brain can be effected in such a significant way where it is effects a person's speech and understanding of speech. We also learned about what can happen if someone has a brain injury directed at their fontal lobe. The frontal lobe is such a huge part of who we are as individuals an...

Going through day to day life as an able-bodied person can easily be seen as less challenging than it might be for, let's say, a person with Cerebral Palsy. Daily activities that we might see as easy, a person with Cerebral Palsy might see as a challenge. For example, walking up the stairs, loading the dishwasher, walking through doorways, opening doors, or simply plugging in the vacuum, can easily be overlooked if you are an able bodied person. But for people who have a disability, these things may come as a challenge. This is where Universal Design and better accessibility come into play. Universal Design uses materials from the environment for the betterment of the majority population. Some examples of current Universal Design materials include automatic doors at grocery stores, automatic faucets and soap dispensers, and shower handles, which are all beneficial to the public, whether a person is able-bodied or has a disability. On the other hand, some accessibility examples incl...

In her TED Talk, Aimee Mullins, gives the official definition of the word disabled. Unfortunately, the definition is not what most people would perceive as motivational or inspiring; in actuality, the definition of the word disabled is no less than degrading. But Aimee is out to prove that the definition isn't close to defining the people behind the disabilities. She attempts to change the meaning of the definition and redefine the true meaning of the word disabled. She talks about how we as a human race should build our youth up rather than tear them down with words such as "lame" and "hurt". Aimee does not feel that disabilities are a defining factor of who a person is, but rather something that can help set people apart in a beneficial way. Aimee believes that people with disabilities should use their disabilities to their advantage and can actually be a motivation to increase someone's potential. Personally, neuroscience and neurological dysfunction ha...

After spending an excessive amount of time in a particular field of work, it's understandable how some people can get into a rut and do the same things everyday for every client. But for me, occupational therapy is different. Yes you will always have those people that don't want to do the background research and really dig deep to try and help a client, but for me, I believe it is an essential part of the job to know, understand, and use Frames of Reference throughout your entire career. From the article, I can see why the author was upset with her mother's occupational therapist. Although I am still learning about Frames of Reference, I believe it is a key part of being a successful OT. Seeing a client as a person rather than a diagnosis is an important aspect for getting a client back to their everyday routines and occupations. Having a holistic mindset and explaining to a client why he or she is doing a particular activity can give purpose to a client's OT sessions. ...

The OTPF is an influence to the practice of occupational therapy because it helps to create an overall picture of how clients should be evaluated and treated. Because the field of occupational therapy has a top-down approach, it gives the occupational therapist the opportunity to get to know the client on a deeper level. I believe it is so important to understand the client as a whole and as an individual person, rather than simply knowing the issues they are dealing with. Therefore, the OTPF is an important factor in making occupational therapists, not only better at their jobs, but better at being good listeners and interpreters.