Group items tagged

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 website from the American College of Rheumatology provides fast facts re: appropriate exercises for those who suffer from arthritis. What exercises are helpful and safe, who should exercise and which exercises are best, when to exercise and how to get started. Good info to know and share with potential clients in the future

I realize we are a few weeks past this, but I found this in an e-mail from this summer and thought the information could be useful.

This is an article from the AOTA's website on sex and OT's role. It describes what OT does for a client. It breaks down different categories such as health promotion, remediation, and modification. It describes certain interventions, and answers some of those questions that some of us might feel uneasy asking about.

This is an article from the aota page on OT involvement in sexuality. It has a good section on OT interventions.

This is a brief informational from the AOTA on the role and job of OT in the oncology department.

This fact sheet is from AOTA. It talks about the role of occupational therapy in oncology, who can benefit from it and where services are provided.

This website describes a new piece of technology that helps with the recovery of burn victims. Researchers have found a way to use skin from an undamaged area, place it in a tube with an enzyme and spray the solution in the tube over the burn area to heal the site in a way that is much less painful than having a skin graph. this process can be a better option than a traditional skin graph because it takes less time for the patient to heal from, it can cover a larger portion of damaged skin from a smaller portion of undamaged skin, and the solution takes very little time to prepare.

Back and neck pains from improper body mechanics and improper posture can be decreased and prevented from proper sitting and standing posture,sleeping bed mobility, lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying. Ergonomics to adapt the work place to the person to decrease risk of getting repetitive trauma disorder and prevent back pain and neck pain.

Being a man, I often think that if I suffered from a disability that left me dependent on others I might feel a bit 'less than' and this article discusses a study that covers the topic of emasculation in males who are dependent on caregivers. Sexuality is a big part of most people's life and just because someone suffers from a disability doesn't mean that they cease to exist as a sexual being. The article also discusses how the approach to social care is typically asexual and that this approach can come across as patronizing, dismissive, and even disrespectful to a client's sexuality.

I ran across these "MIT Burnout Prevention and Recovery Tips" the other day: 1) STOP DENYING. Listen to the wisdom of your body. Begin to freely admit the stresses and pressures which have manifested physically, mentally, or emotionally. MIT VIEW: Work until the physical pain forces you into unconsciousness.

Step by step directions from the Shepherd Center.

SuperBetter helps you achieve your health goals - or recover from an illness or injury - by increasing your personal resilience. Resilience means staying curious, optimistic and motivated even in the face of the toughest challenges. Jane McGonigal developed this game while recovering from a concussion, you can watch her TED talk or check out her website at http://janemcgonigal.com

This article is from the AOTA. It explains to the consumer how occupational therapy is beneficial to a person after having a hip replacement regarding what OT will do for them, what to expect from your OT/OTA and how instrumental OT services can help them regain their daily activities.

I learned about this cool, FREE app, at the TNOTA conference during our students presentation. You basically download it and it allows you to choose a vision impairment (from the list provided) and you can then experience how the client w/that particular vision impairment sees. You can scan your surroundings using your camera feature. It even allows you to control the severity of the symptoms. This tool is not only great for educating yourself, but can be an extremely beneficial tool when educating family members on what their loved one is experiencing on a daily basis.

you can also download using itunes for ipad or i phone as well. (i just happen to have an android)

I found some very interesting information about upper extremity amputation. The article tells about the procedure and the role of the occupational therapist in the recovery process. With this procedure, an electrical prosthesis is controlled by the mind via nerve innervation. The nerves from the amputated arm are transferred to the pectoral muscles where they regenerate, which in turn allows movement of the prosthetic arm. I included this link from another website as well because there are videos available to watch. http://www.ric.org/conditions/prosthetics-orthotics/bionic/

I thought this video was great for what has been being discussed in class between THP and safe transferring in/out of a vehicle. There are a few things mentioned in the video that I would have not considered for a THP, so I felt that others' may benefit from this as well. This video provides an example of how to educate a patient on the different precautions. I felt like this was important because OTA's are holistic and being able to transport safely from place to place is a very important factor.

A super short video I took last year at the AOTA conference that I thought was amazing! (as you can tell from my loud mouth reaction) This assistive technology gives the ultimate form of independence!

I found this article interesting because the new protocol it addresses seems to help a patient bounce back after surgery, reduces recovery time, and reduces the use of narcotics after surgery. After all, getting back to the routine of life and our daily occupations is what we do in OT!

I found this article very helpful for people with arthritis. This guide gives you tips on how to do everyday tasks with arthritis and be pain free. Many people suffer from this and it would be beneficial to them! "You can do it easier! Find practical, everyday solutions for managing your household, gardening, cooking, beauty and more."

This is a short article that discusses rheumatoid arthritis and its affect on kidneys. It provides suggestions on how to keep your kidneys healthy and has a warning list for signs of kidney damage.

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 am sharing this article as a reminder of how important bone health is. This article shares information about how much calcium adults and children need and the importance of calcium and other vitamins and minerals for healthy bones. Eating healthy and exercise is essential in promoting healthy bones. We as COTA's will be treating clients of all ages and I feel it is necessary for us to understnd and educate when we can on bone health. Understanding a lifestyle of eating healthy and knowing what damages our bones is important. Education and being proactive on bone health may prevent us and our clients from distress in our future.