RSCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

This lady is great! She is an amputee OT! She gives a great personal perspective as well as clinical perspective. In this video she walks us through different kinds of shrinkers, how to apply, her opinions on them, etc. Such a unique view!

Great explanation of how and why to wear shrinkers. I like her teaching style and her humor.

Glad I'm not the only one who subscribed to her. I saw her videos a while back when I was searching for prosthesis information. She is apparently originally from TN as well!

There has been a technology boom in wearable fitness trackers lately and I was curious to see if there was anything available to individuals who use a wheelchair as their main mode of transportation, whether due to LE amputations, spinal injury, etc. I came across this company who has created a fitness tracker specially designed for those who use a wheelchair. It not only maps incline, speed, heart rate and distance, but also aggregates data used for terrain mapping. This info can be used to give options for routes based on ease of maneuverability and safety.

This short video shows simple, but effective ways to successfully protect one's hand joints. The ideas shown in this video could be helpful for anyone, however, while watching this video I specifically thought of people who have JRA/RA. These compensatory strategies could allow a person to have their independence longer. Furthermore, I always love to be educated on easier ways of doing activities and in the video it shows ideas for using a shelf liner. I believe this video is fantastic for supporting safe ways of doing one's ADL/IADL's.

This video gives a lot of good ideas for protecting your hand joints. I've noticed that going to the grocery store requires a lot of pushing, pulling, lifting, and manipulating with the wrists, hands, and fingers. My hands are really small, and I've started to pay more attention to what I'm asking them to do. Like, when opening a door, I use more of my body to push it open then just ramming my hand on the push bar.

I'm not sure that I agree with the title of this video, but the TEK Robotic Mobilization Device is a major improvement, in many ways, over a wheelchair. This segment gives 4 reasons why the TEK Robotic demonstrates a major shift in thinking in mobility devices. Best of all, this device shows how an individual with SCI can both sit and stand during the day, and place himself in much more natural positions for social interaction.

Here are some FREE resources that are dedicated to promoting movement in the classroom, therapy and at home! This website has everything from free handouts to implement in the classroom or with the parents. It also has check lists to use with the child while assessing different things. Really neat website!

I love this lady! She is an OTA who has a lower extremity amputation and allows the viewer to see the real life struggles in a first person point of view. She gives good advice for safe showering/bathing and points out different ways for different people. Lastly, this video will help home health OTA's to know what an amputee may need to make life easier (stand up shower vs. bathtub).

This is so funny! Love the cat! Good, practical info too.

This is an easy-to-understand webpage that describes the parts of a LE prosthesis. The material is more descriptive and more current, in my opinion, than what appears in our textbook. It also includes sections on prosthesis fitting and care of the residual limb. This resource would be good to recommend to a patient prior to or shortly after amputation. It also has professional version of the same material.

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.

I pulled this from the AOTA website, you must log in to view. I thought this article reaffirms what we have been discussing in class about the role of the OT practitioner in treating patients with COPD. Our main focus is energy conservation (which may include task simplification, deep breathing techniques, and implementing adaptive equipment). This article is not very long and provides a nice WHY we are doing what we are doing.

I know I keep posting little kids with prosthetics but they are so inspirational. In class yesterday, Teri was talking about "fit to sit" meaning that the best time to introduce a child to a prosthetic device is when they are around 6 months old (when they begin sitting unsupported and are involving their hands to reach). This short video is a great example of a family who did this with their daughter. She is very active and doesn't let her missing arm affect her life.

This is a short video showing a little boy get a functional prosthetic arm. It transforms his life and what he is able to do. The part I like most is that it is an OT who is training him to use it!!! The OT works on bilateral hand involvement so that he may engage in play like other boys his age.

This app looks like it may be able to replace some pricier or cumbersome options for low vision..

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.

I meant to share this a while ago. This site lists 7 ipad aps that you can purchase for AAC. The prices range from $7.99 to $189 plus the cost of the actually ipad. I still think it's relatively cheaper compared to some of the other AAC devices we've looked at.

I have become increasingly interested in the topic if research lately. This article does a good job of showing how some simply misrepresent data and leads me to believe more in looking for the source of the research as well as the personal interest the researcher may have on the subject. Research and the source of it can give us a lot of information. Not all research is reliable though.

I know we are past aging in place by a little bit, but I came across this again and wanted to share! A really interesting outlook on aging in place in a mock village for dementia patients. The patients live on site in their own apartments which they are aided in managing independently. The town has everything from grocery stores to movie theaters. Nursing staff dress in plain clothes to give the environment a "real-life" feel and encourage patients to operate on their own schedule. This is currently in the Netherlands, but how cool would it be to have OT's work in something like this!

This video is short and sweet to the point! It is hard to recognize on one's self if they are using the correct body mechanics when lifting heavy objects, but this video shows what your body should look like. This information is great for at work, or for at home with IADLs/ADLs.

Some good tips I hadn't thought about before, such as tightening the butt and abs before lifting with the legs. Funny how I've been paying more attention to my own body mechanics around the house.

This is a short but sweet video on how to use a gait belt. I noticed in lab that it could get confusing on knowing hand placement once the belt was on the "patient."

Last year when Dennis (injured hang-gliding) visited our lab and when we watched the video of Charlie Croteau, I thought one of the most interesting topics they mentioned was how to travel on airlines with a wheelchair. Both men emphasized the importance of the items you need to take with you onto the plane and the space restrictions you could anticipate. I was also interested in how the wheelchair could be disassembled into a very compact space. This website is aimed toward those who may be traveling with a wheelchair and offers practical advice such as labeling your w/c parts and requesting assistance at airports.

Service animals can not only provide practical needs for their owners, but love and emotional support as well. I know a few things about service dogs, but I know very little about capuchin monkeys as service animals. In this short video, a trainer explains how the monkeys are prepared for service, the many tasks they can help with, and how the animal is placed with a client. Having a capuchin come to your house puts a whole new twist on the idea of a home evaluation!