Activity Analysis

Yesterday, we were divided into different groups to learn about an activity that could be graded up or down and could be used for different populations as interventions. Lauren taught us a modified game of twister which was made harder because she included some picture and word recognition and was made easier by using pool noodles cut in half as a "reacher". For my activity, we made french press coffee which could be used for muscle endurance when standing by the stove for 15 minutes, for cognition in order to remember steps in a process, or to work on walking in relation to occupation by hiding materials needed in a "scavenger hunt" throughout a kitchen. For Makayla's activity, we tye-dyed tshirts. This could be used as a sensory activity or even as a group therapy activity in a nursing home! For Caroline's activity, we made smoothies, which could be made harder by individually chopping all the fruits into tiny pieces and using precise measurements. It could be made easier by having pre-chopped fruit. For Rachel's activity, we made delicious chocolate covered strawberries. It could be made harder by heating up chocolate chips carefully in a double broiler and by adding more decorations. It could be made easier by using dipping chocolate you heat up in the microwave and stabbing the strawberries with skewers to dip them into the chocolate. Overall, it was a very fun day and I got some good ideas that I will implement into therapy one day!

John Stoker

Today, we learned from a classmate about a man named John Stoker who sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury. John had no movement below his thoracic region, but complete function in his right upper extremity. He was able to put a shirt on with some assistance. John was a very happy man and had a close relationship with God. He enjoyed listening to the Bible on cassette tape. Some of his goals were to be able to use the phone, maintain relationships with family and friends, and to reload his cassette tapes. Occupational therapy was used in his case for bowel and bladder rehabilitation. He did not want to use a colostomy bag that the doctor recommended, so occupational therapy was able to help him go to the bathroom more independently. I thought this was a very unique and unusual way for occupational therapy to help someone become independent in toileting.

Neuro Note #1

In "My Stroke of Insight", Jill Bolte Taylor explains that her interest in the study of the brain stemmed from having a brother who was diagnosed with schizophrenia. When she contracted a hemorrhage in December of 1996, she found that her brain began to quickly deteriorate like she could have never imagined. She woke up with a horrible pain behind her eye, and tried to go about her day. She quickly realized that her consciousness was altered and that her body seemed alien to her. She realized that there was a big problem when her arm became paralyzed by her side. She desperately tried to call for help even though she was not able to process the telephone numbers, or understand the words that the receiver said when they answered the phone, or even form a cohesive sentence to ask for help. Eventually, an ambulance came and the doctors were able to stabilize her. Later, surgeons removed a hemorrhage the size of a golf ball that was pressing on the language center of her brain. It took her eight years to fully recover.

I chose this Ted Talk as my first neuro note because I thought it was so compelling to hear the story of experiencing a stroke from the perspective of a neuroanatomist. She seemed very aware of what was happening to her during her stroke, even though she could not even function normally. From an occupational therapy perspective, it caused me to realize the level of confusion and fear people who have a stroke experience. I believe that listening to her story has helped me to become more empathetic to individuals who experience strokes. Also, I think it proves the power of a motivating force for the client to keep working hard to reach full recovery.

My Stroke of Insight

Taylor, J. B. (2008). My stroke of insight. [Video file]. Retrieved: from: https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_

          taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight?language=en

Ethical Considerations in OT

During one of my observation sessions, I vividly remember wondering whether or not I was witnessing an ethical dilemma. A young man came in who has previously been diagnosed with a brain injury. Because he had already had extensive physical therapy, he was on the verge of being able to walk again. He had run out of his physical therapy hours, so he was seeing an occupational therapist. She used a client-centered approach to determine that it would be much more helpful to the young man to continue to work on walking. It was interesting and inspiring to see her doing what would best help her client, but I still had a nagging feeling that perhaps this could be unethical. After all, insurance was billing for occupational therapy when helping with walking was perhaps out of the occupational therapist's scope of practice. I look forward to learning more about the gray areas like this as I continue to learn more about ethics in occupational therapy.

Youtube and Occupational Therapy

Since starting OT school, I have found and learned to truly appreciate the treasure that is Youtube. Nowhere else can you find a free database documenting all types of diagnoses and even watching therapy in action than this magical land of videos. Youtube can be used to refresh gross anatomy knowledge by watching full cadaver dissections. It can also help you gain knowledge on topics you've either never seen or are not comfortable with in a clinical setting. It can also serve to inspire by watching countless recovery videos of occupational therapy clients recovering from what once seemed like a devastating diagnosis. I will continue to appreciate the value of Youtube as I set out on my future career as an occupational therapist.

Health Promotion, Health Literacy, and Prevention

As future occupational therapists, it is important for us to be cognizant of a person's physical, mental, and social health instead of just fixing what seems to be an isolated problem. By thinking from this holistic mindset, the patient will thrive in their health instead of metaphorically "putting a bandaid on a bullet hole".  It's also imperative to remember that our clients are most likely not health care professionals and we need to help their health literacy in the best possible way for the client. It's also important to advocate for people with disabilities so that they can get the preventive screenings needed to stay out of the hospital.

Empathy, Aphasia, and Phineas Gage

During observation sessions, I was always drawn towards clients who suffered a stroke and as a result developed some type of aphasia. Seeing their frustrations with not being able to come up with the right words or express their needs tugged at my heart. I think this stems from seeing similar frustrations arise from my grandmother when she was suffering from dementia. Today's class session has challenged me to one day come up with easy and practical ways for practitioners to help ease their clients' frustration and allow them to address their needs. The pre-reading assignment and podcast assigned to today's class has shown me that there are just so many stories out there of people suffering and what we, as future therapists, can do to help.

Reaction to Ted Talk on Overcoming Adversity

The important thing to remember when learning about various neurological disorders is that those "disorders" are attached to people. These people may be strong, smart, kind, funny, healthy, or capable, but they are much more than a disorder. As future therapists, we must keep in mind that our clients are not broken, disabled people. How we address our clients and their needs  will be how they view themselves and their diagnosis. We must equip the client with the right mindset and grit to tackle their obstacle head-on and not let it define them.