Foundations of Occupation Centered Practice

"Inside the O'Brien's" was such a touching book and I am so happy I had the opportunity to read it, especially as we learn about Huntington's Disease.  Throughout the story, I oddly found myself laughing which was a weird sensation but I love the dry humor the author still applied considering the circumstances of what Joe and the family were going through.  There were many events leading up to Rosie wanting Joe to go to the doctor because things were just really off.  Getting dressed one morning, he couldn’t find his gun anywhere and was convinced his wife or kids hid it from him or misplaced it but no one had placed it where it was found.   During this incident, he expressed extreme rage to his family that took everyone aback.  Pouring drinks into the dinner glasses one night, his grip completely gave out and the glass pitcher shattered on the table with everyone looking around in confusion.   While working, he s taggered getting out of his car one day and...

Lotje Sodderland is a 34-year old woman who sustained a inter-cerebral hemorrhagic stroke as she was home alone in her apartment.   She became overcome with confusion, disorientation, and could barely bring herself to get off her bed.   She found it in herself to get out of her apartment and to a place downstairs where she collapsed in their bathroom where people saw her and were able to call an ambulance.   Lotje woke up feeling confused and didn’t remember much but she had full motor ability and showed no physical signs of stroke.   In a short amount of time, her family and those treating her noticed severe cognitive delays and deficiencies in her language, logic, memory, reading, writing, and occasionally her sensory perception.   She would begin a sentence and suddenly forget what word to use, would recognize an object but couldn’t remember the word used to describe it, couldn’t write her name or words, and couldn’t read.   As someone who used to be i...

The Sensory Integration (SI) frame of reference focuses on how the interaction between the sensory systems including auditory, vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, and visual systems, provides integrated information that contributes to a child’s learning and adaptive behaviors. The key consideration is that children have the abilities to make adaptive responses to constantly changing sensory environments.  Interventions using the SI frame of reference include use of therapeutic equipment to provide children with various sensory opportunities, with at least two of these three sensations ( tactile, vestibular, and proprioceptive ). Sensations are provided in a structured environment, graded to a greater or lesser intensity depending on the needs of each child. The outcome of successful sensory integration is the participation in daily life activities and will enhance fulfillment of the children’s roles, like being a student in the classrooms that include constantly changing sensory i...

In relation to public health, AOTA's Vision 2025 considers health to be the wellbeing of one's mental, physical, and social state in the population we serve.  Some key signs that you are healthy are having the ability and energy to perform the occupations that have meaning to you as well as when your mind isn't racing, resulting in stress.  Occupational therapy-directed health promotion is the client-centered use of occupations, adaptions, or alteration of context to maximize the pursuit of health and quality of life for people, groups, populations and communities.  There are primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions that aim to reduce threats to health that include prevention, reducing risk of a condition or injury, and limiting the impact of an ongoing illness.  OTs are set apart from other professions in health promotion by how they p rovide recommendations and training for caregivers, d etermine whether patients can live independently, a ddressing existing d...

In Professor Flick's lecture today, the social determinants of health were brought to my attention.  I am kind of embarrassed to say I didn't begin to think of most of them because they are things I am fortunate to have, such as food, shelter, and peace.  Some of the social determinants such as income, sustainable resources, and education are the ones I first thought of since those are the things I am most familiar with people having or not having access to.  The videos she showed us about health literacy are also new areas I haven't had a lot of knowledge or learning in.  After watching those videos, I will now be more aware of my surroundings and think of the situations others may be in and make them as comfortable as I possibly can when they are in my care.

Me Before You is about a man, Will Traynor, in his thirties who was struck by a motorcycle as he was crossing the street and sustained a spinal cord injury which left him quadriplegic, paralyzed from the chest down.  The accident resulted in Will losing his physical abilities, girlfriend, vibrant, intense life and residing in a castle with his mother and father where he has his own annex and staff to care for him.  The Traynor family was in search of a new caregiver for Will which is how they meet Louisa Clark who goes to the castle to interview for the job to help support her parents who are struggling because her father was unemployed.  Lou, for short, get's the job and meets Nathan who is the primary caretaker of Will who performs his activities of daily living each day as well as takes him places and helps lift him to and from.  Nathan explains to Lou, who is feeling discouraged about her rigid and cold encounters with Will, how to just give him time and patience...