RSCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

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.

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!

We could all use a little help with our documentation right? Found this link on pinterest with some great resources to help with our wording in our documentation. We want to sound professional and educated so we get billed right? This really helped me out some!

Awesome resource, thanks for posting. Documentation is something I have to pick up speed with and being able to use the right wording helps cut down my thesaurus time lol.

This helps, this is an area I am struggling with this semester!

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.

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.

After reading about desensitization I was interested in learning more and, lo and behold, our favorite Amputee OT had a great video on the topic! She talks about the importance of massage, tapping, and using different types of fabric to help with hypersensitivity (desensitization) of the residual limb. She also touches on some exercises that are used to help prepare a residual limb for weight-bearing during use of prosthesis.

Head injury refers to trauma to the head. This may or may not include injury to the brain. This is really good to go to that gives you a visual on Closed Head injuries (CHI). This allowed a much better understanding of what actually happens.

This article is full of helpful information for post stroke patients. it address several potential difficulties and ways to avoid them such as, taking breaks, knowing side effects of medications you are taking and what effects they may have on your sexual performance, experimenting to see what techniques or positions work best for you and more

This article addresses the fact that just because you may be paralyzed does not mean your libido and need for sexual expression changes. It also goes on the talk about orgasms and how women can achieve a "normal orgasm", breast health, and birth control.

I am not sure I like that fact that they refer to sexual abilities be less affected in women with SCI than men. In my opinion it is a tad sexist and biased. Aside from that this article contains some information that would be helpful to be aware of going into to working with clients with SCI.

If you are working at a drive thru window in Nevada, it is really possible that a car could pull up and have no one inside it. No, it's not a ghost car, but a driverless car, which is actually road legal in that state. This bookmark is a website by BMWi listing new innovations in technology that could benefit disabled persons. Even if some of the products never become widely used, the technologies from them could be put to use in a variety of other ways. The website reads a bit like a commercial, but it still gives you an idea of how technology, adaptive equipment, and the needs of disabled people are converging.

This is a short, easy to read article that would be a helpful resource for patients. Individuals with MS have many symptoms; one of the most common is fatigue. Suggestions about position and time of day may help persons have more fulfilling sex lives. Many of the ideas given in the article are very similar to the alternatives identified in chapter 16 of the Early text.

This peer-reviewed article deals with a study, in which the efficacy of sexual rehabilitation services was examined. Twelve individuals with SCI injury participated in the study. The result was that the majority of the participants were discontent with the quantity and the content of the services provided.

Excuse some of the expletives in this article but I found it to be share-worthy. This is a Q&A article with five women who have had some sort of physical disability impact their lives. They are asked candid questions about how their disability affects their sexuality. I feel like looking back at this source will help me feel more comfortable speaking about sexuality with a client.

Disability awareness in Dubai!

In my health psych class I did some research on this subject. There are many disparities when it comes to healthcare for individuals who may not feel comfortable with doctors and other healthcare professionals. I think it should be a goal to understand some of these issues and make people comfortable communicating personal concerns, goals, and desires without fear of discrimination.

That's a lot of great information!

On this link there are several people who give their opinion on being in a wheelchair and their personal life. The videos range from young to old.

Ok, I admit when I watch this special guy on the stress video Teri posted I couldn't help but think about his life and how things clicked for him? I looked a few more of his vidoes and found he was married and is a very sexual little person. So, I wanted to share what I found. :)

That's great!!!!

My good friend Ragi Doggweiler is a researcher and practicing physician in this field. Once located right here in Knoxville she has moved back to her homeland of Switzerland. We have often had conversations about what PT's could do for this population but until I revisited this paper I had not thought of the under-utilization of OT practitioners in this area. While PT can and does work on the physical aspects of these issues OT would greatly enhance the treatments in so many ways.