Out of this World OT

I chose this TED Talk because I wanted to hear more testimonies about Huntington's disease and was struck by how young this particular speaker was. In this video, Kristen Powers tells her story of learning to cope with her mother's diagnosis of Huntington's as well as the 50% chance she or her siblings would contract it. Since she was only 9 years old at the time of her mother's diagnosis, she had 9 years to wait until she could legally take the test that would reveal if she was gene-positive or negative for HD. During this period of "Not Knowing," she decided to process her emotions through journaling and decided she was just going to try to live life to the fullest rather than allowing anxiety to steal her joy. She ends the talk by saying she recently turned 18 and would finally find out if she was gene-positive or negative in a few months but plans to keep advocating for Huntington's regardless of the results. Since this video was published in 2012, I...

I chose this Ted Talk because I actually met Janne Kouri recently when volunteering at his Ride for Paralysis event. He and his team were riding bicycles from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. to raise funds and awareness of the need for better rehabilitation centers for those living with spinal cord injury.  In his Ted Talk, he tells more about his personal story and his realization of the hole in our healthcare system regarding patients with spinal cord injury. His doctors told him he had no hope for recovery and that he should just "get used to playing board games the rest of his life." That line was absolutely chilling and infuriating for me to hear. Our job as healthcare professionals is not to take away all hope nor to give false hope. While we can present evidence to our client, every case is different so there is truly no way to know the outcome for that individual. Luckily, Kouri did not listen to this doctor and searched for rehabilitation facilities that could pro...

The hierarchy of mobility skills in order from least to most confidence is: bed mobility, mat transfer, wheelchair transfer, bed transfer, functional ambulation for ADLs, toilet and tub transfer, car transfer, functional ambulation for community mobility, and the top is community mobility and driving. After seeing the hierarchy pyramid for the first time, it did make sense to me why it is in that particular order. The bottom levels have a larger base of support which helps the client stay safe while they build their confidence, strength, and balance. As they go up the skill levels, progressively smaller bases of support are introduced along with other challenges such as slick surfaces in the tub/bathroom. These added challenges require more balance and mobility skills. Driving is at the top of the pyramid because it requires a lot of both physical and cognitive skill to safely maneuver a car.  For example, if a client is recovering from back surgery, bed mobility is the very fi...

Assistive devices are carefully fit to each individual client to ensure as much efficiency and safety as possible as the client uses it. For instance, if their device is not adjusted to the right height for them, it could effect a client's gait pattern and lead to an increased risk of falling. To properly size a cane to a client, the handle should be about level with their greater trochanter. The client's elbow should be slightly flexed when holding the cane. If using a quadcane, it is important to ensure the wider legs are turned to face the outside so they are clear from the client's path when walking. For axillary crutches, the arm pad should be about 5 cm below the axilla so as not to impinge on the nerves and vessels of that region. The handgrips should be about level with their greater trochanter. For Lofstrand (forearm) crutches, the arm cuff should be about 2/3 up the forearm, proximal to the elbow. The handgrips for forearm crutches should always be faced forwa...

Learning proper posture and body mechanics is vital to ensuring the safety of both the client and therapist. Good body mechanics helps prevent injuries and allows for increased mobility, balance, and stability. For example, when lifting a load (whether an object or client) it is very important to have a wide base of support and lift with your legs by bending at the hips and knees rather than the back. It helps to keep the load as close to you as possible and pivot your feet to turn rather than twisting at the lower back. These steps help to avoid injuries from falling over or over-straining back muscles when lifting.  Another example is when reaching for something up high, as in a cabinet, be sure to get a solid grip with your hands and use your arms and legs to avoid letting your back take on the full weight of the load. It is still better to keep the load as close to your body as possible because the further away it is, the more strain is placed on the lower back. Using step stoo...

The wife in this story, who is missing three fingers, and the soldier, missing one, would both have a harder time grasping objects with those effected hands. Grasping is a necessary component of many occupations that we use our hands for on a daily basis. Driving, especially while making sharp turns with the steering wheel, is one such occupation that often requires bilateral hand grasping to maintain control. Therefore, driving the prized Cadillac would be difficult for either character that is missing digits. However, there are still ways the wife could steer the car effectively and continue basking in her victory.  Rather than placing both hands on the outer circle of the steering wheel, the effected hand could be placed in a device such as this   so she could complete sharp turns effectively without the danger of losing her grasp.

Social determinants of health are factors, such as education level, food, income, and shelter, that can greatly influence your overall health. For instance, not having a college degree limits your career options, and therefore possible income. With lower income, affordable housing may only be available in less safe areas. Also, this cheaper housing may be located in a "food desert," meaning access to fresh, healthy food is limited. Even when healthy foods are available, they will still likely be more expensive than the cheap, highly processed, foods. If you have a family to feed on a budget, you may have to rely on these less healthy foods as staples of your diet. Then, this poor diet can lead to a myriad of long term health effects including heart disease and diabetes. I grew up experiencing this same type of snowball effect but I feel like sometimes it's easy for people to overlook the negative impact these factors can have, especially if they have never experienced it ...