Out of this World OT

I think this simulation went pretty well overall. I tried to make the conversation flow as naturally as I could, despite my initial nervousness, and I covered all the topics we needed to discuss. If I could redo it I would try to be more concise and clear with my explanations of SPD and the results of the sensory profile. When I watched the recording, I realized my talking speed was not as fast as it initially felt when I was in there, but I still stumbled and/or rambled during my explanations. Some ways you can communicate caring to the client, or the parent in this situation, is by body language and checking for their understanding. For instance, positioning yourself beside the client, making eye contact, and nodding, all provide nonverbal cues that you are listening and are here for them. Asking open-ended questions such as "what questions do you have?" instead of "do you have any questions?" shows the client that you genuinely care about their questions/concer...

I chose this documentary because it had really good reviews and I wanted an inside look of what it is like to survive a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), or "stroke." This documentary was started by Lotje, a 34-year old woman who experienced a stroke while home alone, as a way to document her recovery journey. Her friends described her as a very social, articulate person who loved to read and write before her stroke. However, post-stroke, Lotje had a lot of speech, reading, and writing difficulties. The documentary shows all of the frustrations and challenges Lotje encounters as she tries to come to terms with who she is now that she cannot do the activities she used to love. I thought this movie was fascinating and very philosophical. They use visual effects throughout the movie to give the audience a sense of what Lotje is seeing. For instance, she describes the vision on her right side like a "heightened sense of reality" with all the colors and sounds intensif...

I really enjoyed the creative challenge this project provided. Adaptive technology and out of the box thinking are two of my favorite parts of occupational therapy, which initially made me feel like there was a lot of pressure to produce a great idea. I had a whole list of ideas at first, but ultimately came to the conclusion that perhaps the best idea was the simplest one. By weighting the Parmesan cheese container with rice I already had in my pantry, I was able to create a fun, cheap activity that directly tied to the client's interests and occupational performance goals. My family frequently found ways to re-purpose household items as I was growing up. The resourcefulness they taught me back then was extremely helpful for this assignment. It was exciting to see the pieces fall together and reinforced that a lot can be accomplished with a little creativity, OT knowledge, and duct tape.  Therapeutic activities do not have to be expensive. There is no need to buy new or e...

I chose this video because many of the residents I encountered while working at a retirement community/SNF were diagnosed with Alzheimer's/Dementia and they taught me to always expect the unexpected. This video shows how Alzheimer's affects behavior besides just the memory loss that is usually associated with it. The cameraman's father wanders from room to room, performing various odd tasks and never really seems content with any of them. For instance, he remakes the already made bed several times, taking pillows off and on, and straightening sheets. He also walks over to the litter box and picks up a clump with his hands rather than a scoop and then it takes the son several tries to get his father to wash and rinse both hands. At the end, the son attempts to get his dad to come relax and watch TV with him but the father just keeps making his rounds. I observed a lot of similar behaviors in the Alzheimer's/Dementia wing of the retirement community I worked and shado...

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...