inside erica's crazy creative world

Hey bloggers! Today, I participated in a SIM lab where I had to talk to my client's parents about Sensory Processing Disorder as it pertained to the client. My client's sensory profile showed that the behaviors she exhibited were characteristic of Low Registration "Bystander" category. I provided a sensory schedule with activities to be incorporated into my client's day. This is a reflection of how I feel I did in the SIM lab today; how I communicated empathetically; where I feel I can improve; and how I can incorporate what I have learned from this encounter into future experiences. I think I did well in the SIM today. I was nervous upon arrival, but once I knocked on the door and walked into the room, the nerves went away. I felt at ease as I introduced myself to the mother of the client, and asked her how she was doing. My next thought was how I was going to establish rapport and show empathy towards the client. The first thing I did to show empathy was

My Beautiful Broken Brain Hey bloggers! I chose to write about this documentary because it encompasses the meaning of hope, and shows us the true power of the human mind.  At 34 years old, Lotje Sodderland was challenged by the complexity, fragility, and wonder of her own brain following a life changing hemorrhagic stroke. When she regained consciousness, life as she knew it would never be the same. She was thrown into a new existence of distorted reality where words held no meaning and where her sensory perception had changed beyond recognition. Over the course of a year since her injury, she decides to sort of take control of her life, rather than let the injury control her.  Our class talked about cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs), also known as a stroke. We learned that a stroke is a rupture, or blockage, of blood flow in the blood vessel. This occurs due to brain bleeds, or an area of the brain that may be starved of oxygen. This type of injury is a type of non-tra

Hey bloggers! My creativity and innovative skills were recently put to the test. I was asked to take an original household material/item, given the description of a client with a neurological condition impacting occupational performance, and create an item to be used in OT intervention. The item I drew was a Pringle’s can, and I had no idea where I was going to start. My client, Maurice, is a right-handed, married, 83-year-old retired dairy farmer diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). In addition to his diagnosis, he has bilateral cataracts, which contribute to his extremely poor vision. His speech is somewhat difficult to understand at times, especially when he is fatigued. He reports increased feelings of isolation and frustration as a result of his speech production problems; the inevitable decline in his is speech skills with disease progression, and his increasing reliance on others for help with his ADLs.  He uses very few facial expressions and gestures in communic

Documentary: Untangling Alzheimer's Name: David Suzuki I chose to write about this documentary because Alzheimer’s disease has always been an interesting topic of discussion for me. In my opinion. This neurodegenerative disease is one of the worst a person can experience. It not only affects memory and cognition of the mind, but also the physical aspects of one’s wellbeing.  Much of what causes the neurodegenerative disease Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease remains a mystery, but David Suzuki makes it his mission to uncover the latest breakthroughs in the disease. In her late 60s, Suzuki’s mom would forget things. In her 70s, she passed away and the family realized she had died from some form of the disease. All three of her older siblings also passed away from dementia. David Suzuki is now 77 years of age and fears that he and his family are at risk of developing the disease as well. Age and family history are definitely factors, but how much? He is now setting out to u

Hey bloggers! I watched this movie the other day called Brain on Fire. It is based on the book, and true story of Susannah Cahalan.  Susannah Cahalan was leading a normal, healthy life. She worked at her dream job at the young age of 21. Almost suddenly, she began feeling unusual headaches (h/a) that were interrupting her daily routines, social life, and even her job. It wasn’t until after she had her first seizure that she went to the doctor to see what could possibly be going on.  She experienced h/a, irritability, delusions, hallucinations, inappropriate outbursts, lethargy, etc. She felt trapped in her own body, mind, and time itself. Susannah continued to try and get through her everyday routines and activities, but her symptoms continued to get worse. During her first check up, everything was found to be normal. They used an MRI to rule out CVA and blood clots, and the results came back clear/normal. During the second check up, an EEG was done, and these results came bac

Chris & Emily Norton Hey bloggers! The story of Chris Norton encompasses the true meaning of faith, hard work, and determination. On October 16, 2010, he sustained a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) while playing football. After receiving an MRI and CAT scan, he learned that he had fractured his vertebrae at the level of C3-4. He was also told he wouldn’t be able to walk or even feel anything below the area of his injury; unable to bathe or clothe himself independently, go to the restroom independently, or even scratch his nose. He trained and pushed himself to go above and beyond in his therapy sessions. He remained positive and not only met his goal physically, but also found love and received his degree. He successfully walked across the stage at his graduation, and walked down the aisle alongside his bride, Emily Norton. Chris continues to spread his positive light as a motivational speaker by sharing his story. He has also started a foundation to raise money for people with sp

Hey bloggers! Today I will be talking about functional and community mobility, in relation to the hierarchy for restoring bed mobility skills in clients as OTs. The hierarchy for restoring bed mobility skills (least to greatest confidence) is: bed mobility, mat transfer, wheelchair transfer, bed transfer, functional ambulation for ADL, toilet and tub transfer, car transfer, functional ambulation for community mobility, and community mobility and driving.  The hierarchy of skill building for bed mobility is based on increasing activity demands of each task and illustrates the sequence for intervention planning.  Initially, I didn't really understand the order or sequence of the skills; or why they were placed in the hierarchy like they were. As I was reading about restoring functional and community mobility, it became more clear. We discussed in class that "mobility = controlled  instability". This means that a body is easier to move when the base of support (BoS) is

Hey bloggers! Today I will be discussing the importance of appropriately "fitting" your clients for assistive devices.  It is important to appropriately "fit" your clients for use of an assistive device that is specific for his or her needs.  It is important for the following reasons: 1. T aking  precautionary measures in order to ensure the health and safety of all people. This can be done to prevent injuries due to falls; specifically for aging adults. It is also aids in the prevention of abrasions, contusions, lacerations, etc.  2. To aid in balance, strength, and stability  3. To increase safety and security  4. To decrease pain the client may be experiencing; or even prevent pain from occurring in the future. How would an OT accomplish this for the following ambulation aids (assistive devices)? Canes: [less stability than walkers] standard: one leg wide based quad cane (WBQC): increases stability when someone has decreased balance using a

Hey bloggers! Today I'm going to talk to you about the importance of having proper posture and good body mechanics. Body mechanics - the way one moves the body, spine, and extremities during every day activities to protect the body; especially the back, from pain and injury - is important to teach to clients. Good body mechanics refers to proper posture and body alignment when lifting or moving, and can prove to be even more beneficial to clients who have faulty posture and poor body mechanics. (R&T, 2014, p. 841)  Why is it important to teach clients how to maintain proper posture and good body mechanics? (R&T, 2014) 1. muscular and skeletal balance       - to prevent further pain and strain on the back 2. minimizes risk of injury or progressive deformity        -to prevent injuries from occurring at work, or while performing ADL's      -to help protect the spine, as well as other structures (i.e. discs, joints), from abnormal stresses that            

Hey bloggers! I recently read the story, Man from the South . I will be sharing with you today my thoughts on how the daily occupations of the better's wife may be affected due to her missing three fingers; as well as modifications that may help her regain her independence in the occupation. Let's say that the wife in Man from the South was a school teacher, specifically an art teacher, who educates young children. As an art teacher, she would need to have the ability to write, paint, hold things, etc. If she is missing three fingers on her dominant hand, she will not be able to hold things as effectively, nor will she be able to write or paint clearly either. She would need to have decent precision grip strength while painting or using certain tools in art class; not to mention while writing with a pencil or pen on a white board, chalk board, or piece of paper. Her occupations of daily life would be completely affected because she is missing three fingers, and only has her

Hey bloggers! I recently learned about the occupational therapist's role in health promotion, health literacy, and prevention. Two topics that stuck out to me that I wanted to further talk about today was health literacy and prevention. Health Literacy:  Yes, many people can't afford to buy healthy food items; but, this is not always the case. In some cases, people aren't capable of making better decisions about their health for themselves; they have poor health literacy. Health literacy is the extent at which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. It is dependent on the following: communication skills of people and professionals; knowledge of health topics by people and professionals; culture; healthcare and public health systems demands; and situational/contextual demands. Prevention:  Preventative measures consists of interventions that aim to reduce risks o