RSCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

This article lays out, very clearly, the definitions and examples of restraints. They give easy-to follow directions in assessing whether or not a restraint is necessary. I felt this information will be helpful in my position as a COTA.

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)

So, here is a powerpoint that I found on ambulation aids and 80% of the stuff we don't need to know. But, it does have some helpful info on different aids that are used and some positive and negatives of the aids. I just thought I would share.

Each amputee goes through their own personal struggle. Whether the amputation is a result of trauma or illness, the feelings are the same!

I found this website is very powerful and educational. And as a future OT practitioners we can recommend it for our clients. It is about amputation foundation that originally was created for veterans, but would give a hand to any amputee civilian. There are a lot of helpful information about how to take care of amputated limb, how to get social security disability, etc. Also this foundation offers support, financial aid, information on recreational activities, medical equipment, and counseling.

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.

I found this article very educational, because it gives us a case study. Sometimes restraints can have opposite effects on the intended purpose. Ignorance about danger of restraints can lead to injuries or deaths.

Limb loss is always devastating, both physically and emotionally. I've frequently told patients who have lost a limb or are facing the prospect of losing one, "You are going through something that no one should ever have to go through." Limb loss is, however, especially devastating whenever it happens to a child.

After having a hip replacement, you may expect your lifestyle to be a lot like how it was before surgery-but without the pain. In many ways, you are right, but returning to your everyday activities will take time. Being an active participant in the healing process can help you get there sooner and ensure a more successful outcome.

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.

This page from the AOTA website contains links to various topics associated with the aging adult. These are tip sheets that explain different conditions and how OT can help. These include aging in place, living with Alzheimer's, fall prevention, hip replacement, home modification, low vision, driving and stroke. In addition to the tip sheets, there are links to videos for aging in place, home modification and precautions the elderly can take to prevent falls in the home. This is a great place to look to obtain a lot of good information on a variety of problems the elderly can face and how occupational therapy can help this population.

This may be a short article, but it is packed with good information. It answers the question "what can OT do for the cardiac patient?". A good reference for clients and a good reference for practitioners.

This webpage is a resource page in which provides the reader information regarding an individual's personal experience with COPD. I like that she up lifts the reader to encourage changing the negative thinking of "this is not a death sentence" etc. It answers questions as what the individual may be experiencing and offers resources to help people with COPD to be successful and an advocate in their treatments.

So many people are diagnosed with diabetes today. I thought this would maybe help anyone who did want to learn more information on this topic.

This article is about a man that knew he needed a hip replacement, but dreaded the long recovery of having one. He talked with a surgeon that recommended using an anterior approach for his surgery because it required much less muscle to be cut through. As a result of using the anterior approach, he had an extremely quick recovery and was able to resume all his favorite actives.

This site gives information on the rights of patients while they may be in a SNF or similar facility.

This PDF gives information on the procedure of hemiarthroplasty to repair a fractured hip, as well as, great visual pictures of the body positioning during ADL's for hip precautions. I thought it would be helpful for someone like me, as an OTA student to visualize the correct preventative positioning during sitting, lying, driving, bathing, etc.

this is a neat interactive tool that you can use with senior (or any age) clients to help educate them about what safety hazards to watch out for and avoid in their home. It is a fun, visual way to show and tell the client about what to look for in the different rooms (living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom) in order to reduce the risk of falling. Something different besides a checklist.

just click on the "hidden hazards house" link to help Harold find the 26 hazards

This is an awesome video narrated by an OT student who is a paraplegia.  Nicole gives a look into the adaptive equipment she uses to get around in her daily occupations.  This video shows car adaptations, standing machine, wheelchair cushions, and how she travels via airplane and taxi.  Nicole gives a good explanation of these devices.

That was an absolutely great video Kellie!