Tools in Occupational Therapy

TOOLS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

For this week's open blog post, I decided to look at the different types of tools used in occupational therapy. I have mentioned several times that occupational therapists use unique tools and devices for the treatment of their patients, but I have never specifically identified these tools. After researching, I compiled the tools that I found in the list below...

• Sock Grabber
• Long Handled Sponge
• Long Handled Shoe Horn
• Elastic Shoelaces
• Universal Cuff for holding a Spoon 
• Weighted Vest
• Pencil Grips
• Adapted Scissors
• Slant Board 
• Mini Trampoline
• Heavy Teddy Bear 
• Brushes

Each patient's needs require different equipment for treatment depending on their condition. These tools are used to not only treat patients but also make their everyday activities easier to accomplish. For example, the spoon cuff helps someone who cannot hold their spoon to eat, the elastic shoe laces for those who can't tie their shoes, and the pencil grips for those who can't hold onto their pencil. Although these tools seem quite simple, they can make the world of a difference to a patient who needs them when they are applied correctly. 

WORKS CITED

Sundstrum, Kelly. "Occupational Therapy Tools for Kids." eHow. n.d. Web. 28 March 2013. 

"Occupational Therapy Frequently Asked Questions." Allied Health World. 19 January 2010. Web. 28 March 2013.

Creativity in Occupational Therapy

THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATIVITY IN OT

For this week's open blog post, I wanted to expand on the idea of unusual practices that I began to explain in my special blog about Patch Adams. I found that in the past, occupational therapists used arts and crafts as a form of treatment which helped them both physically - improved strength and coordination- and mentally- increased self-esteem and improved social skills. This reminded me of the way Adams treated his patients. However, as the profession grew and became a larger part of the medical field, occupational therapists began to get rid of arts and crafts in their practices in order to establish an identity for their profession in the medical field. This also reminded my of the movie because of how the professionals in Adams field of practice did not accept the unusual ways in which he treated his patients and tried to get rid of him. In the present day however, the importance of creativity in occupational therapy is becoming popular again and is being reapplied to the practice. What I learned blogging today was very interesting and was also a good research experience. I liked to be able to build off of something I already researched and find out more of the background information. I think it makes the process of writing more interesting which then comes across in my work, making it more interesting for others to read. 

WORKS CITED

"Creative Occupations in OT: The Benefits of Creativity." Weebly.com. N.p. N.d. Web. 24 March 2013.

Noting Cultural Assumptions

PATCH ADAMS AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

For this week's special blog post, we had to find a portrayal of our chosen career in popular culture and discuss the cultural assumptions made about our job in that portrayal, as well as how popular culture views our job and the people who work in it. I chose the movie Patch Adams. Although it is not specifically about occupational therapy, I found that it shared many similarities.  In this movie, a young and troubled man named Hunter Adams admits himself into a mental institution. Because of his experiences there, Adams commits himself to becoming a doctor and later attends medical school. Once in medical school however, Adams is disgusted by the way that patients were so "coldly" treated which in turn "alienates" the patients from their caregivers. What happens throughout the rest of the movie is what I find to be similar to occupational therapy. Adams is determined to heal his patients through laughter and provide them emotional relief. He "clowns around" with his patients and gets to know them on a personal level which lifts the moral of both the patients and the hospital staff. I find this similar to occupational therapy because throughout therapy, occupational therapist have to come up with new and sometimes unusual ways to help heal their patients and while doing so build a strong relationship with them as well. Unfortunately in the movie, Adams' unorthodox ways of treating patients is not widely accepted by the other professionals in the field, who later try to bar him from practicing medicine. 

Through this portrayal, I found that they are trying to show that patients need more than just medicine and tests. They need laughter and love. In this movie, the patients and hospital staff love Adams and the way he treats them, but the "higher up" professionals that he was earlier disgusted by for being only cold and clinically professional with their patients, do not approve of his unusual practices. The cultural assumptions that can be made about Patch Adams are occupational therapy are that sometimes treatments are just plain unusual and can seem like they are not even treatments at all. But, these unusual practices can work very well and help the patient both physically and mentally even though they are not the "professional" ways in which people are used to.   

WORKS CITED

"Patch Adams: Synopsis." Fandango. AMG. n.d. Web. 24 March 2013.

Occupational Therapy Schools in Michigan

MICHIGAN OT SCHOOLS

Whenever I talk to others about the choices I need to make in college, I'm given the same response every time: "You have tons of time to think about it, you'll figure it out." Well I can't speak for the other freshmen here at MSU, but I already feel a bit rushed. A good chunk of my 2012-2013 schedule were classes already specifically for my major (Kinesiology), which became a bit of an issue when I was still deciding if it was the major I wanted to be in. All I could think was: "I don't want to get far into one subject, decide it's not for me, and realize all those classes are now wasted time and money." While I'm sure now that I want to stay in Kin, that doesn't make me feel any less rushed. Now I'm already looking at what graduate schools I would like to go too. I would love to stay in Michigan, so I decided to search which schools in Michigan offer a master's level degree or higher in OT. On City Town Info, I found that Calvin College, Eastern Michigan, Grand Valley State, Saginaw Valley State, Wayne State, and Western Michigan all offer a masters degree or higher. On this website, it also stated that Battle Creek, Saginaw, and Ann Arbor have the highest percentage of jobs relative to their population, while Holland, Lansing, and Niles have the lowest. This information, while not in depth was very helpful to me because now I know the possible schools that I should look more into, and a job outlook for areas around Michigan as well for after I complete my schooling.

WORKS CITED

"Michigan Occupational Therapists: Schools and Careers." City Town Info. n.p. n.d. Web. 16 March 2013. 

Arguments in Occupational Therapy

CULTURAL AWARENESS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

While searching for a scholarly article about arguments in occupational therapy, I came across an interesting article published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy called "Cultural Awareness in Occupational Therapy: The Chinese Example." In this article, Katherine Hopton and Helen Stoneley found that in a comparison of Chinese culture and occupational therapy philosphy, occupational therapy in the United Kingdom was influenced by the Western health care system that it developed in. Hopton and Stoneley talk about the importance of occupational therapists being culturally aware, and state that this importance is due to the idea that key concepts and terms used in everyday practice of occupational therapy may not be "culturally generalizable." 

Through my research so far, one of the main ideas I have learned about occupational therapy is that different patients have different needs, and these different needs require different styles of treatment. Because this idea is so important on an individual basis, I can understand how it can also be very important on a cultural basis. Cultures differ in many ways: the food they eat, the morals they value, the jobs they work, etc... A therapist who is not culturally aware may be more susceptible to making their patient feel uncomfortable or simply not providing the most efficient type of therapy for the patients combination of individual and cultural needs. It is an occupational therapist's job to help each patient to live healthiest and most independent life that they can, which would become difficult if the therapist has no knowledge of what their patient's home life consists of. For these reasons, I support Hopton's and Stoneley's views on the importance of cultural awareness in occupational therapy. 

 

WORKS CITED

Hopton, Katherine, and Helen Stoneley. "Cultural Awareness in Occupational Therapy: The Chinese Example." The British Journal of Occupational Therapy 69.8 (2006): 386-9. ProQuest. Web. 16 Mar. 2013. 

The Oprah Winfrey Controversy

OPRAH WINFREY AND SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER

While searching for a controversy in occupational therapy for this week's special blog post, I came across Oprah Winfrey which made me curious. What does Oprah have to do with occupational therapy? Well, it turns out that the whole controversy stems from an episode of the Oprah Show where she talked about a challenged boy with sensory processing disorder (SPD) who's mother explained had both hypersensitivity and hyposensativity. She also explained that her son found it pleasurable and funny when other children were hurt and in pain. What angered advocates of SPD about this was how Oprah may have led others watching the show to believe that all children with this disorder were violent and behaved in the same way. They say that SPD affects different children in different ways which were not shown on the Oprah Show such as movement, social skills, school performance, and many other functions. They also disapproved of how Oprah never explained how SPD could be treated. They understand that the main focus of the show was more about the struggles of the young boy's life, but would like to see SPD more clearly and specifically explained and represented.

WORKS CITED 

Orenchak, Meghan. "The Oprah Winfrey and Sensory Processing Disorder Controversy." North Shore Pediatric Therapy. 8 March 2011. Web. 13 March 2013.

Occupational Therapy: Hand Therapy

HAND THERAPY

While searching around the internet for a topic for this week's open blog post, I kept coming across something called hand therapy. Although I have gone through other specializations of occupational therapy in my previous posts, I have not yet looked into this one. The title "hand therapy" can be deceiving. Judging by the name, it sounds as if hand therapists only work with the hands. However, they also work to rehabilitate the wrist, elbow, and shoulder girdle. Hand therapy requires much more experience than just occupational or physical therapy. To become a hand therapist, a personal must have at least 5 years of experience working as an occupational or physical therapist and at least 4,000 hours practicing hand therapy. Hand therapists also have to pass a test in advanced clinical skills and theory of upper quarter rehabilitation, and re-certify every 5 years. This field is very beneficial because if you think about it, how much could we really do with a loss of functioning in our hands and upper limbs? Just about every job that I can think of requires well functioning hands in someway, and it is a hand therapist's job to help those who have lost that function to regain it as soon and as completely as possible. 

WORKS CITED

"The Recognized Specialist in Hand Therapy." HTCC. Hand Therapy Certification Therapy, Inc. N.d. Web. 11 March 2013.