RSCC Occupational Therapy Assistant Program

This is a video of activities that Aquatic Fitness does during work conditioning. It has several different lifting tasks and shows proper body mechanics. I think this would be good for clients but also for us as well.

This video follows a contractor around a house as he shows changes they have made for an aging adult.

Great ideas on this video, Tiffany! I am very much in favor or either making nursing homes much less institutional or helping people stay in their homes longer. I feel as if there are a lot of advances and changing attitudes on this topic. Some of the universal designs that are shown, I would like to have them now! Never mind on waiting to get them when I'm old. Least path of resistance, I say. LOL

The following is a question and answer based article geared towards understanding the many different types of thermoplastic materials available for orthotic fabrication. It is important to understand the ways in which thermoplastic materials behave when activated in order to make them work properly and effectively for each and every orthotic design.

It's hard to believe that the ADA is 25 years old. This video shows some problems that still exist for disabled individuals in our present society. Like most major reform laws, the ADA has had a big impact on our country, but there is still more to do.

Do you get mad when you see someone with no handicapped tag zoom into a handicapped parking spot at Wal-Mart and then jog into the store? I do! I like this video because it explains the great details that go into making good, accessible handicapped parking. It also causes me to think, as an able bodied person, about how I park my vehicle and how I use public space. For instance, do I pull so far into a parking spot that the hood of my car extends over most of the sidewalk, making it difficult for people to get around my car? And how many of you have been aggravated to see that there is a nice h/c parking area, but there's no easy way to access the curb, except for a slope that's 30 feet away and forces the disabled person to travel through the parking lot to get to it? I doubt that we as OTAs will be outside measuring and inspecting the parking lots, but this video does give you some ideas about the challenges that disabled persons face when moving from place to place.

Beth, I am so glad you posted this. It is also important to realize that just because someone isn't walking with a cane or using a wheelchair that they don't have the "right" to use these spaces. If they were issued a handicap placard by their doctor their is a good reason. Invisible illness is just as real as ones you can see. This is a great video! Thank you.

DIY Pencil Grip to Improve Handwriting

Some great ideas for putting together a great OT tool box.

Here's a student made rap on the fundamentals of MOHO.

This video show five nerve gliding exercises that would help reduce, or prevent injury to the ulnar nerve. It starts off with explicit detail of what cubital tunnel syndrome is and provides a few examples of how one could develop cubital tunnel. The movie gives you step by step direction for the nerve gliding techniques, so it is easy to write these tips down while watching the video!

This is a nice little pdf on wheelchair position techniques and recommendations for making clients as comfortable as possible while in their chair.

I love Levi Harrison! He explained what anatomical structure causes the phalanges to have trigger finger. Then, he shows one exercise that he would recommend for the patient along with a message treatment to loosen up the spastic pulley. Harrison explains other forms of treatment for trigger finger that OT could recommend.

Brief article on limb amputation, how it done, wound care and post op rehabilitation. Its very brief and general but informative all the same.

For anyone wanting to increase their knowledge of hand musculature this is a awesome interactive muscle guide. Also, I ll leave this mnemonic here for intrinsic muscle memorization, "All For One And One For All" google for clues :)

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 gives two ways to make a homemade heating pad. We learned one method in lab (heating rice sock).

This article gives different ways individuals can protect their joints. It identifies ways to relieve pain, distribute load, do things differently/easier, and different positions used to stabilize joints.

This website gives a step by step to make your own paraffin wax treatment. I'm not sure how much they cost but this looks pretty easy. If a client really wanted to know how to make one, we could give this site as a resource.

I'm sure some of us remember hearing the story on Zion Harvey this summer. This brave little boy underwent a bilateral hand transplant after losing both of his hands, and feet when we was younger. I remember hearing on the news that "he would have several hours of therapy a day" after the successful surgery. I found it encouraging that this article addressed that he had occupational therapy everyday. As future OTs/OTAs we know that occupational therapy will help him work towards his goal of playing on the monkey bars, and help him with his other ADLs. I hope we all have patients this positive in the future :)

Useful tips on how to pick an appropriate purse that will improve our everyday body ergonomics. I intend to use this list when I pick a purse in the future.

Simple video showing how to mobilize the median nerve.