If you need an inspiring story to watch...watch this! "My therapy is my medicine"

Just in case you were wondering what the benefits of using Diigo are ;)

Standard Precautions represent the minimum infection prevention measures that apply to all patient care. These evidence-based practices are designed to both protect healthcare personnel and prevent the spread of infections among patients. Ambulatory care facilities need to develop specific strategies to control the spread of transmissible diseases specific to their setting. This includes early detection and management of potentially infectious patients.

Universal Precautions are actions that you take to place a barrier between yourself and potentially infected body fluids. This fact sheet goes on to further show what you can do to keep yourself safe.

A guide on what to expect after rotator cuff surgery. This includes some tips on things that you may not have been told about. Things like buying clothes in a bigger size to help with the dressing process and rubbing lotion on your arm every morning and night to prevent your skin from becoming dry and starting to itch.

Nice visual aid to help with seeing how and why these exercises work to strengthen the muscles of the rotator cuff.

This is an evidence based report on how therapeutic occupations and activities within a CIMT (constraint induced movement therapy) approach were used with a 52-yr-old woman 4 years after having a ischemic stroke to enable her to return to her occupational role of skilled violinist.

Published by the Amputee Coalition in partnership with the U.S. Army Amputee Patient Care Program, this shows how to enhance prosthetic performance to maximize functional ability.

A fact sheet regarding the role of OT in acute care. Occupational therapy plays an important role in helping clients with early mobilization, restoring function, preventing further decline, and much more.

Essential job functions are the fundamental duties of a position: the things a person holding the job absolutely must be able to do. This helps to determine whether or not a person is being discriminated against when trying to get a job. If they can not perform the essential job functions, they are not qualified for the job.

Physical agent modalities traditionally include therapeutic ultrasound, electrical stimulation, shortwave diathermy (electromagnetic energy) and light therapy. This article breaks down how each one helps our patients.

This. is. AMAZING! You must watch!

When we first started talking about how OT can help burn patients I did not see how we could help. This unit, as well as this article, helped me to see how important OT can be to burn survivors. Hand therapy, splinting, self-care retraining, face and neck stretching, wound care, scar massage and functional improvement are all things we can help with. In addition, helping them get back to their roles in the community.

This occupational therapist has worked with breast cancer survivors for over 20 years. She talks about how OT helps make tasks "easier, safer, and possible". She helps them deal with the pain, weakness and fatigue associated with cancer. I love how she describes occupational therapy!

This link shows the many side effects cancer can have. OT can help! I honestly did not think about OT and cancer until this unit of study.

The growing number of people with cancer has increased the need to services such as lymphedema therapy, hospice, and palliative care. OT can help in so many ways. Who needs help "living life to the fullest" each and every day more than someone with such a grim prognosis?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is of the "hump" on a computer mouse? I have honestly never given it much thought, until I read this article. There is a front hump and rear hump. This particular article talked about which would be better for someone wearing a wrist splint. In this day and age carpal tunnel is a huge problem for many people and they have to wear wrist splints while working on the computer. So which is better? Read and find out!

I have known people with COPD and to be honest, I never really knew exactly what it was. I just knew that they had it because they smoke. (The people who I knew) This link provides a look into what this disease does to someone emotionally, as well as physically. How sad to have to grieve just as if you have lost a loved one. This disease can cause you to have anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and problems with sex and intimacy. Sex is an ADL! So much more to this disease than I every knew.

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!

A short step by step video of a handyman walking through a home and describing modifications needed to make it wheelchair friendly :) He does a great job of showing why what is already there needs to be modified. It points out things most of us wouldn't think of as being an issue.