Group items tagged

This article has some insights about gay/bi/trans people and aging that many of us may not have thought about. Two that particularly stood out for me were the likelihood that LGBT elders may not have family to care for them and the invisibility of older LGBT people. In working with LGBT older clients, we should be aware of and open to the different experiences they may be having (and certainly will have gone through in their lives). This article was originally written on The Huffington Post by Robert Espinoza, the Seniored------ Director of Public Policy and Communications of Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE).

Excuse some of the expletives in this article but I found it to be share-worthy. This is a Q&A article with five women who have had some sort of physical disability impact their lives. They are asked candid questions about how their disability affects their sexuality. I feel like looking back at this source will help me feel more comfortable speaking about sexuality with a client.

This is a great article on Arthritis. It is from the AOTA website. It tells and explains arthritis. But best of all it gives examples of things to do to prevent and help compensate with arthritis. These types of articles are great for me because now that I am obtaining all of this knowledge in the classroom, things like this make so much sense to me now. I remember when I would read articles like these when I first entered the program and would be discouraged because I did not understand some of the key points. It is so rewarding now for an article like this to be beneficial. I really enjoy the articles on AOTA, if you have not joined you need to! Great stuff on the website to take advantage of!

Different walkers and uses for, etc. This would be really helpful for a client who had to chose a walker. There are many things to think about and this article gives one a good place to start, and information on choosing.

Everything you need to know about supplements and what they do for you. Learn about more than 100 medications for arthritis and related diseases. Get the practical information you need to live better with arthritis delivered straight to your inbox! When you have arthritis, even the simplest everyday activities can be difficult and painful.

This web site offers courses for thermal and electrical modalities that are used in OT. IT is a live online course. It covers treatment and safety precautions. I would love to take this course, but the price is $599.00!! I wonder if there are facilities that will pay for or pay for half of the course for their OT employee.

Decided to share this because, as they say, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

I tagged this page because it is important to remember that sex is not just an emotional event, but a definite physiological one as well. We need to remember this for not only our patients but in our own lives. Marriages are hard enough to maintain, but it is even harder if sex is viewed as a weapon. If both parties understand the benefits of a healthy sex life, everybody is a lot better off. Cause "if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy," lol.

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.

I found these tips for maintaining health and wellness for college students. Although some of these tips won't apply to clients, I think that applying some of these techniques in our own lives could potentially help us all to become better focused on learning. We have to take care of our own bodies in order to be able to treat clients.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are 4 tools we can use to either cope with stress or reduce the stress. The 4 tools include Avoid, Alter, Accept, and Adapt. Each tool is explained and ways to use each tool are included. Stress can be good and bad. Knowing yourself and your environment and what causes your stress will help you deal with it. The tools are easy to follow and are a good reminder that in many situations we are in control.

These tools can be applied to all aspects of life and are easy to implement or have a client implement.

This webpage offers information as to the benefits of aging in place. I didn't realize how cost effective it is to age in place rather than going to an assisted living or nursing home. Not only the accessibility of the home but also the technology that would need to be learned for the homeowner to receive the care and emergency help when needed.

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/

I like this website because they post the latest news about the drugs that could treat some form of cancer. All information about cancer (types, treatment, prevention). From this website I found out that every 3th person in United States gets cancer. Also we can read how to live with cancer (coping skills, advice, medical research and information about palliative care). There are also recommendations on how an occupational therapist may help with assistive devices or adapted techniques to help you perform these activities easier. I thought this website was really educational and helpful.

Silver ring splints are taking over tape. When I first heard of these finger splints being used for hypermobility syndrome about 10 years ago, I thought this was genius! Now they are expanding the use as well as studying to see the positive/negative uses for them. We now have boutonniere splints, as well as swan neck splints.

ideas for what our patients may need modified to adapt to thier enviroments.

This is a fairly cheap looking page but I like how it groups the different types of adaptive equipment by what ADL they are used in conjunction with.

Since many of the oncology patients an OT practitioner would treat experience fatigue, I thought it would be appropriate to post an article related to energy conservation. I found this one to be particularly interesting because the writer interviewed real people who are incorporating energy conservation techniques into their own lives. I realize it is naïve of me, but I never really thought about the resistance that a patient might have to slowing down and the emotional response this might create. This article gives an interesting perspective.

Bear with me on the title and intention of this article. There are a lot if implications here for the future of OT as well. These are exciting times we are living in.

Terry McCarty, 29, suffered burns to 70% of his body in childhood accident Endured 58 operations and taunts from bullies calling him Freddy Krueger For years after accident he lived in 'constant state of fear and uncertainty' He joined the fire service in 2012 after refusing to let 'fear take over my life' An American who suffered third-degree burns to 70 per cent of his body in a childhood accident has faced his fears by becoming a firefighter.

This is about a vacation for youth who have suffered burns at some point in their lives - usually when they are pretty young. Kind of like cancer camps, it gives them a chance to be with peers who understand what they've been through and don't stare at their scars.