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This is a link to an awesome website for The Fontana Center.  The Fontana Center is a center for work rehabilitation.  It is owned and run by an OTR and also hires COTAs, massage therapy, and fitness experts.  This place is very holistic.  It offers seminars and workshops on ergonomics and preventing work place injury.  It also prescreens employees for companies to make sure their candidate can handle the physical aspects of the job that they are applying for…this saves the company lots of money in the long run.  The facility offers functional capacity evaluations and work hardening programs.  It also has fitness classes including water aerobics/therapy, yoga, and even classes for seniors.  This is great for fall prevention! I love this place…I wonder how many places like this exist in the US?

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 was searching for information on tertiary prevention when I came across this website. I got completely sidetracked. This article talks about a study that was done on strength training related to reducing work related injuries. Strength training was actually encouraged on the job. Reminded me of how my husband took an empty space at his work and turned it into a place for his co-workers to work out when they wanted to. They have a couple of punching bags and mats and even have a boxing instructor and Krav Maga instructor that teaches them a couple of times a week. I like that there are studies backing up strength training at work.

This is an article describing work hardening in occupational therapy. It is promoting a rehab center, but gives a good definition of work hardening and how OT can help people return back to work. It promotes education to prevent injuries and teaches clients how to cope with symptoms of chronic pain.

Good info from AOTA about work rehab

This is an on-line copy of the textbook Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction, 6th Edition. The first edition of this textbook with authors Catherine Trombly and Anna Deane Scott, was the first textbook aimed at OT for physical disabilities. Pages 22-29 address the origins of Occupational Therapy a lot of which is being discussed in the Work Lesson. Afterwards, it discusses practice tools as being work programs, crafts and exercise, adaptive equipment, PAMs, and orthotics. It helped me to view these in this manner as a choice of possible patient treatments to feel more secure in entering field work in the near future. It also states that physical therapists establish individual motions before the OT works on movement combinations required for ADLs. The simplistic wording of this book helps me to have a greater understanding of the OT profession as a whole which is why I chose to share this site.

This is a article out of AJOT. It is about OT in the and how we can help people reach maximum potential in work environments. It goes through and gives examples of how this can be done. Best of all it is what we just covered today. I think it is very important we understand our role in this area. It is actually something I did not really think about until Teri explained it so well today. Also, everyone was very engaged in the the discussion and it makes it so easy to learn that way. Thanks.

This story is about a firefighter who lost his arm fighting a fire. His arm was amputated and the he was fitted with a prosthetic. He worked with an OT and prosthetic forever! He wanted to be able to return to his dream job of fighting a fire! He worked very hard and he had his share of his ups and downs. I am not going to tell you all the ending, so please read it. It is not long at all and will take you 10 minutes at the max.

This page discusses the differences between work hardening and work conditioning. It also has information about success rates and cost effectiveness.

This article in the Washington Post about these two older women ask about their secret to living to 102 -- and their answer is work. These women have always stayed active and busy and found much purpose in their lives. Seems like future occupational therapy assistant students could learn a lesson from these two.

This recreation therapist describes the work hardening program that she has devised.

This article explains the services provided by work hardening programs.

Returning to work following a motor vehicle accident can be difficult, regardless of the type of work that you do. When you've had an injury, even relatively sedentary jobs can feel strenuous. It is important to recognize that an ergonomic evaluation of your workstation is available to you through your automobile insurance's accident benefits, before or after your return to work.

This is an interesting association called Adaptive Design Association that works with PT, OT, and parents to help make your own adaptive equipment out of cardboard and other resources.  You can design specific and client centered equipment that is very cost effective.     Truly amazing!

This is JANs website (The Job Accommodation Network). The accommodation information by Disability: A to Z provides a list of impairments and allows you to click on the one you are interested in. It then provides information of what types of work accommodations may need to be implemented and resources to find equipment.

Getting a Leg Up: Toe-Operated Mouse Works Like Flip Flop Loss of upper limb function can be devastating for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the disruption of normal, everyday activities. Using a computer mouse becomes impossible for people without the use of their arms, and it's exceptionally difficult for people with nerve damage or other arm injuries.

This is a short video demonstrating the use of a simulator which enables the client to practice movements prior to returning to work or other activities. Apparently the machine has several interchangeable parts to mimic different tasks. Notice that the data collected from the simulator is displayed on a computer monitor for quick feedback. This technology is mentioned on pp. 602-03 in our Early text.

Coping with work stress in today's uncertain climate For workers everywhere, the troubled economy may feel like an emotional roller coaster. "Layoffs" and "budget cuts" have become bywords in the workplace, and the result is increased fear, uncertainty, and higher levels of stress.