Group items tagged

End- Of- Life- Care

Does LIfe End at 35? I say not! I enjoyed reading this article about a man who said his career didn't even take off until he was 58. He accomplished many great things later in his life vs earlier in his life. I think people, and I am speaking for myself get hung up on age. I worry too much about my age and what I have not accomplished at my age. This article brought to my attention that age is just a number! You can accomplish many great things at any age!

this article is from AOTA on OTs role in end of life care

At Atlanta's Washington Park Pool, Anne Dunivin slowly and gingerly makes her way into the water. She says, "My girls get me to the pool, twice a week. And I swim for at least half a mile. I swim laps, from that end to this end and then back."

To go along with the studying on the ageing adult we've been doing. This is proof that slowing down is inevitable, but the healthy adult can be active for many years.

This is a story of a little girl that touched my heart as I read and looked at the pictures. The story has part 1 and part 2 with pictures of her as she underwent treatment for bone cancer. Kaela ends up with an amputation and a prosthetic leg. Brave little girl with a happy ending after all.

This is a great resource for travelers with disabilities. There are many travel tips including talking to the service providers before the trip and be specific about your needs. It reminds you to be prepared and to know your rights. Embedded in the article is a guide to the rights of disabled travelers. Included is a list of resources and websites with a short description that really was helpful and easy to navigate. At the end of the article there was a place where one can share their own travel tips.

I really thought about this website when I was checking out of a hotel yesterday and saw a woman coming out of the hotel in her wheelchair and her husband was carrying all her adaptive equipment to make travel easier for her. Travel is something as OTAs that we need to think about when we are identifying clients 'occupations'.

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 is a short video with an OTR/CHT demonstrating how to wrap a finger. Uses for Coban wrap include reducing edema, support and protection for wounds (it can be applied directly, but doesn't stick to weeping tissue), light support for joint positioning, and early AROM.

Oh a short helpful video! Thank you Beth! The little trick at the end of folding the edge is a nice touch. Helpful tips!

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends that, "Manual lifting of residents be minimized in all cases and eliminated when feasible." The American Nursing Association finds that, "Every day, nurses suffer career-ending and life-altering injuries from repeatedly lifting and moving patients," and outlines sound ergonomic...

Stairs inside home are safe End of stairs is clearly marked (top and bottom) Handrails on both sides of stairs Hallways and doorways wide and obstruction free Fire extinguisher available Smoke detectors present Adequate lighting Throw rugs absent Area rugs secure and safe Adequate heat Adequate cooling Space heaters safe

I thought this was a great list of hip precautions for almost every OT problem area. Including bathing, dressing, sitting in a car... etc.

Tobi, this is a great site. Thanks for sharing. It will come in handy as well when we have to do our skills assessment at the end of the semester.

Tobi, this is great!! Thanks for sharing.

This article discusses a study/clinical trial evaluating whether stimulating the brain before rehab could yield greater gains in motor function. In this process called TMS therapy they apply an electromagnetic current to excite the brain, which they believe slows activity in the healthy area of the brain, which can become overly active after a stroke. They want to improve all aspects of the weak arm such as ROM and strength and to see at the end of the study if it would help with ADL's.

Discusses sexuality in males and females after spinal cord injury, and includes additional resources at the end.

I love NBC! According to this material springs will be coming to an end in the future.

This webpage is actually a CEU course by Wild Iris Medical Education. Completion of the test at the end gives the practitioner 1.5 contact hours and the cost is only $15. The information helps one identify stressors and then provides practical, easy-to-understand strategies for managing stress and remaining in the profession. It provides stress prevention ideas not only for the individual to implement, but employers as well. I also like that you can read the information for free if you choose not to take the course.

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!

Hospice care and palliative care are very similar when it comes to the most important issue for dying people: care

I loved this! My mom has RA and always asks me to help her put on her makeup. These are some really good tips to know if you ever come across this in treatment. I am going to suggest most of them to my mom!

Thanks, Breanne! I like this topic. If I ever end up in the nursing home, I've wondered about doing my own makeup. I hope I'll be able to, LOL! I have a blush case from Belks that is so hard to open. I often think as I struggle around with it how many little old ladies who also shop at Belks are cursing this dumb case! We need universal design for makeup containers.

I wouldn't say that any of us feel "stuck", but I know we all start to feel stressed out towards the end of the semester. The author of this article, Joy Springer, gives some great attempts on ways to make it through. I needed to read the tips in this article, and I hope it helps some of you as well. We can do it, and we are here to support each other :)

I realize this article is mainly about the accolades of the OT Robin Newman. However, I noticed an interesting piece at the end. She is working on a program that focuses on OT treatment for women who experience cognitive difficulties after completing chemotherapy. When my mom went through chemotherapy, the doctors and nurses told us a common side effect was "chemo brain.," where she would forgot how to do common tasks, easily lose her train of though, and not be able to think of words she wanted to say. Chemotherapy affects many areas of the body, including cognitive abilities. OT is definitely qualified to help treat cancer patients regain their cognitive abilities in a therapeutic way. Just another reason to promote OT!