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Print out our checklist to use with your patients to help them develop individual stress management strategies. Click here to print now! Stress is a commonly under-recognized, untreated dimension of recovery, rehabilitation and medical intervention. While all patients seeking medical care experience stress, for individuals with disabilities the dynamics are not the same.

The checklist Richard mentioned is a great resource! Thanks Richard. I plan on using this in the future. :)

Great article about how to help our patients with chronic conditions manage stress that impacts their daily activities.  Personal stories of stress management coping skills and how to help our clients identify their personal triggers. This article has some great questions for patients to ask themselves when identifying their personal stress management techniques.

At my last fieldwork placement I got to watch a couple of driving assessments. Driving brings a person much freedom. Taking away the privilege can be devastating to some. This article gives some good tips on to talk with a loved one about their ability or non-ability to drive. I think the tips would apply to those of us who find ourselves working in situations where we would have to talk with client's about this subject.

This is a tough issue. I used to worry about my grandmother so much. She started having little fender benders. It is good for us to be aware as COTA's how significant driving or not driving can be to our clients.

The conversation regarding when someone should no longer drive could be quite hard. I found this website that gives advise on how to have this conversation. It discusses how to plan for it, how to bring it up, how to handle objections and the environment in which it should take place. It also talks about how to help the individual with the transition (finding other means of transportation, etc).

I have a huge problem with being able to delegate tasks and then I get so stressed out because I have 30 million things to do in a day. - This article talks about how we need to learn to delegate things and if we don't ever do it, the responsibilities are going to bog you down. It also talks about 3 ways to learn how to delegate in order to 'master' the process. I think this is a very handy tool that will get rid of some of the unnecessary stress!

Be approachable, open-minded and non-judgmental. This is a great checklist to read over before talking with your clients about sex. Included is how to provide an environment that the client feels safe speaking of sex, key areas that should be covered, some barriers that are faced by minority populations, and many reminders to be open minded, non-judgmental, and to keep your personal beliefs out of the discussion.

There are several things in life that we as individuals must face, there is no way to avoid it and that is aging. As we age, some people prepare for it and others don't. This article offers information as to how to live healthier to help avoid the inevitable. It offers information on how to help avoid cancer, cardiovascular problems, and many others. And in our lives it may be inevitable that we get these problems, BUT we can sure start now to try to keep from getting them as we age.

Sex is a taboo subject for some people, but as future OTA's we need learn how to be able to answer questions about sex. If as a therapist we are uncomfortable discussing sex, we aren't establishing a very good therapeutic use of self if we can not effectively communicate with the client their concerns regarding sex.

This is an article on AOTA website that talks about how important addressing sexuality in the OT field is and the interventions we might take to address sexuality with our clients. Always helpful to have these facts and examples on hand for our future.

Sexuality is a core characteristic and formative factor for human beings. It is a state of mind, representing our feelings about ourselves, what it's like to be male or female, how we relate to people of our own gender and those of the opposite gender, how we establish relationships, and how we express ourselves. This article from AOTA was helpful for me when we were going over sexuality in class. It mentions some specific areas OT can address.

information on how to treat burn patients

This website provides a lot of information about the types of treatment that are provided on an outpatient basis and from what I see is very OT related. It includes info on scar control and massage, pressure garments and how to put them on, therapeutic exercises including using the PNF technique, work hardening, common interventions, modalities, ADLs , and the different splints used and why they are used.

It covers the do's and don'ts of burn rehab as well as how to administer different exercises, garments, and scar massages.

Do you get mad when you see someone with no handicapped tag zoom into a handicapped parking spot at Wal-Mart and then jog into the store? I do! I like this video because it explains the great details that go into making good, accessible handicapped parking. It also causes me to think, as an able bodied person, about how I park my vehicle and how I use public space. For instance, do I pull so far into a parking spot that the hood of my car extends over most of the sidewalk, making it difficult for people to get around my car? And how many of you have been aggravated to see that there is a nice h/c parking area, but there's no easy way to access the curb, except for a slope that's 30 feet away and forces the disabled person to travel through the parking lot to get to it? I doubt that we as OTAs will be outside measuring and inspecting the parking lots, but this video does give you some ideas about the challenges that disabled persons face when moving from place to place.

Beth, I am so glad you posted this. It is also important to realize that just because someone isn't walking with a cane or using a wheelchair that they don't have the "right" to use these spaces. If they were issued a handicap placard by their doctor their is a good reason. Invisible illness is just as real as ones you can see. This is a great video! Thank you.

At any given point in time, most college students are stressed about something; it's just part of going to school. While having stress in your life is normal and often unavoidable, being stressed is something you can control. Follow these ten tips to learn how to keep your stress in check and how to relax when it gets to be too much.

This article was an eye opener for me regarding the hazards of sitting too long and not using proper sitting techniques. I now know now why I have mushy abs and limp glutes! I sit for hours at my computer without taking a break, resting or stretching. I also do not sit in an ergonomic position while at my desk. From this article I gained a great deal of information about how sitting too long can contribute to heart disease, over-productive pancreas, colon cancer, poor circulation in legs, foggy brain, bad back, strained neck, disk damage, mushy abs and limp glutes, just to name a few. It was really surprising to learn how just from sitting too long can create havoc on your organs, muscles and your whole body. Gives you something to think about!

I should put my laptop on the bar and use it standing up once in awhile!

This article gives us helpful tips on how to manage stress while we are in college. It also tells us that stress can lead to serious health problems ( autoimmune illnesses, depression and anxiety). Its explains how to watch for signs and symptoms of stress and how to avoid to be overwhelmed. In article we can find how to manage our time while we are in college and different techniques to help us calm down ( meditation, breathing exercises and yoga).

This video gives a good demonstration of just a few ways to massage a scar. I had never heard of scar care before our hand lab with Carrie, and didn't know that OT had anything to do with it. Not all of us will get to be CHT, but we will all have patients with scars. Good information to tuck away for later.

Video showing how to massage a scar to soften it.

So I thought this would be beneficial for everyone because we were just discussing "burns" in lecture. This massaging technique would be good for a patient who has a localized burned, but could be used for a patient who has a massive portioned burned. I like how she explains what she is doing, and how it helps the healing process. This technique could be used for any type of scar tissue, so it is very universal in therapy.

This youtube video by Markerbot and Robohand shows how two men use a 3D printer to design and make prosthetic hands.  The 3D printer allowed them to make cost effective mechanical hands for boys born without hands.  The mechanical hands work due to 'tenodesis grasp'.  The video specifies the need for an OT to strengthen the wrist for better use of the hand and a need for an OT to fit the gauntlet and hand cap.  Is this the future of prosthetics?  The possibilities of 3D printing are limitless when being used to make not only prosthetic hands but various adaptive equipment solutions for all populations.

Great video Kellie!

A very interesting article about OT and treatment of burns. In her case OT started after the patient was stable and able to do therapy every day. She states that the healing process can take years for the patient. Scar care, compression therapy, skin lubrication, splinting, ROM, and strengthening were all discussed. It was noted that scar tissue and adhesions are very painful. A very important point was the planning for discharge and taking in all aspects of independence.

This is an excellent article detailing OT's involvement in the treatment of burns. Different settings and invention techniques are outlined. Great resource for anyone working with burns.

This article gives information about the cycle of treatment (entering acute rehab, compression therapy, skin lubrication, splinting, ROM, strengthening & conditioning, and planning for discharge) for burn patients in acute rehab.

I know someone has posted about palliative care, but I wasn't sure of the difference between palliative and hospice. So, I began to research it and it made sense to me as to why it is better to get palliative care. It also said that it helps to increase the survival rate by 3 months. Also, here is another link to shows you the difference of each. http://www.stcam.com/hospice/palliative-vs-hospice/

The National Association of Home Builders offers information on creating a safe, accessible home for those people wishing to age in place. As people get older many find it important to be in familiar surroundings. Included are questions the home owner should ask like what things are needed in the home in order to age safely. There is a checklist provided on how to choose a remodeler. Additional questions are included that the homeowner should consider asking in order to get exactly what they need. There are Certified Aging-in-Place specialists that are trained in this specific area.

Since we are all students, I thought I'd research some tips for us on how to manage stress! One thing I struggle with is my anxiety with exams. I tend to focus so much of my time on studying and worrying whether or not I'm going to pass a test or not. I found that I need to make more time for myself, relax and let my brain breath. This article gives some wonderful tips on surviving exams: how to organize your notes and schedule time to study, rest and relaxation, and how to handle stress on exam day.

This is a current (2013) piece by PBS that talks about how seniors can 'age in place' in their home by being in touch with programs that come together to help each other with ADLs and IADLs. For example, the Capital Hill Village is a group of seniors who work together to make sure they are all taken care of in their home. This means that someone can volunteer to count pills, garden, or even take them to the doctor. The most important benefit of this group seems to be the social relationships and connecting with people. As OTAs we need to educate oursleves on what type of community programs are available so we can educate the elderly on how to more safely and soically age in place. Also, at the end of the clip it talks about home assessments and how everyone needs a plan for aging!

This is a really interesting study that I read,"An Occupational Therapist Perspective on Sexual Health." This particular study is about how confident they are when OTs are talking to their clients about sex. If the client ask a question pertaining to sex, how many don't think twice about answering and do they answer the question correctly. Another thing that I found interesting in this study is that health professions were surveyed: Thee professionals were asked and about 90% of the surveyed population said sex talk was holistic, but only 6% reported that they discussed it. So, if OT knows that it is an important aspect. Why don't we talk more often? - Well, read and see!! ; )

"Good posture is an easy and very important way to maintain a healthy mind and body". I know that many of us could improve our posture when we are sitting at a desk or in a car, or standing, walking, and everything else. So, I found this article and it tells us how to get a better posture not only by standing straight, but strengthening your core muscles and training them to actually do the work. I had always thought it was about how you stand and sit, but it isn't and it makes sense now. Plus, if you are having headaches or back pain, this article might be something to consider reading because getting a better posture can help with that!