...therapist assistants are constantly working alongside others in order to make patient recovery go smoothly. One profession in particular that goes hand in hand with physical therapy in many cases is occupational therapy. Occupational therapists work with people who have conditions that are mentally, physically, developmentally, or emotionally disabling.1 They are trained to help people either develop, relearn, or maintain how to perform daily living tasks.1 In order to become an occupational therapist or an assistant, a license is required in all fifty states in the US, and the...
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...To be diagnosed with a chronic disease during a person’s life span is difficult to cope with, as changes must be made to roles, occupations and activities undertaken in daily life. At the age of 21, Jessica was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, MS, which is a chronic autoimmune disorder that is caused by the breakdown of myelin in the central nervous system. As a result of the MS, Jessica has had to change and modify many of the occupations, which she participates in, such as personal care and socializing. Not only has the Multiple Sclerosis affected Jessica herself but is has also had an impact on her relation with family and friends. The environment that Jessica lives in had both enable and limited her to adapting to aspects of the illness. The nature and prognosis of the disability: As stated in the introduction, Jessica suffers from Multiple Sclerosis or MS, for short. MS is the body’s own immune system attacking the neurons in the brain and spinal cord (MS Australia, 2005). So far, Doctors have found about four different types of Multiple Sclerosis ; relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis, secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis, primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis, and relapsing progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis is characterized by unpredictable relapse and new symptoms appearing or the existing ones becoming worse. Secondary Multiple Sclerosis is seen in those who have relapse-remitting Multiple Sclerosis and they develop a...
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...Professional Regulation’s for Occupational Therapy In Mississippi Occupational therapists provide skilled care to clients of all ages with dysphasia. Occupational therapists are trained professional that help individuals achieve independence in all aspects of their lives. A few of the health conditions that benefit from occupational therapy include: work-related injuries including lower back problems, limitations following a stroke or heart attack, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, or other serious chronic conditions, birth injuries, learning problems, or developmental disabilities, mental health or behavioral problems including Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress, problems with substance use or eating disorders, burns, spinal cord injuries, or amputations, broken bones or other injuries from falls, sports injuries, or accidents and vision or cognitive problems that threaten the ability to drive. For you to be a licensed Occupational Therapist, you have to submit an application for licensure at least thirty days prior to any admissions to work in any facility. Various educational requirements serve as a qualification to a career as a physical therapist. A person must earn a minimum of two degrees from accredited universities, perform volunteer service and comply with certification requirements to complete the educational requirements toward a career in physical therapy. First, the interested person must complete an undergraduate degree with either a...
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...Why do you choose OT as your career? Hi everyone, I have never written a Personal essay before and this is the only part I am missing to complete my application. I need help please!! I became occupational therapist assistance first because I wanted to make sure this is what I would like to do. "Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." This quote by William James has such as strong significance for me, mostly because I truly believe that no matter how a person helps another; you can have the opportunity to make a positive impact on that person's life. This is why I want to pursue a career in the field of Occupational Therapy; because I would like to make a difference in someone's life. I have always had a desire to help others, I completed my cota degree and I was preparing to apply for my social worker degree, but for some reason I decided to wait, partly because I had a feeling that I needed to make sure that the career I was choosing, truly reflected on who I am as a person and my professional aspirations. I had never heard of occupational therapy until I started working in an Early Intervention program and also had a very personal experience that allowed me to discover such a life-changing career. Last year my grandfather suffered from a fall, which resulted with a fractured light dementia. My grandfather, who had suffered from several fall previously. My grandfather has always been my hero, serving in the Military as a general doctor for many years,...
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...A PLAN FOR SUCCESS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY PROGRAM Introduction Occupational therapy can best be defined as the dynamic, developing healthcare profession that deals with people in their ways of regaining skills required for the everyday occupations of life. For a very long time have had the desire to achieve my dreams in occupational therapy as my profession. I am well equipped with creativity, flexibility and task solving skills to aid people in solving their every day’s life challenges they get involved in. Occupational therapy program is quite involving and needs good strategies for one to be successful in the entire program and become a professional occupational therapists a lot of sacrifices need to be in place. My paper essay focusses on analysis of my plans to be successful if given an admission to the program. Content To be successful in the occupational therapy program have equipped myself with a range set objectives to help me reinforce my skills. Have ensured that my interest in promoting health and wellbeing is with respect to occupation. I have plans to demonstrate compassion, integrity, sensitivity and concern for others, have also acquired the abilities to be well conversant with theoretical knowledge and technical application of effective skills to ensure am in a conducive environment to work together with my fellow peers, colleagues as well as clients. I have plans of exploiting my respect of individuality and diversity, show good interpersonal skills work together...
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...going to happen to my grandfather’s life, the words cut like daggers. My cousins and I watched our parents bewail with sorrow as we just sat aside our grandfather’s hospital bed feeling helpless and confused. About a month went by while my grandfather was still in John Muir, and his progress was nothing to rave about. We would visit him daily, but he never seemed to be getting much better. He couldn’t eat, talk, or move, but we just reminded him to keep fighting and we knew, with hope, he would be able to make a substantial recovery. When my grandfather was dismissed from the John Muir hospital in Walnut Creek, he moved into the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Leandro. While in San Leandro, he started to receive more intense therapy, his recovery was slow but we started seeing improvements; he was able to eat solid food, without a pump, began to talk again. While visiting my...
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...information remains daunting. Similarly, employers attempting to assist the process are often awed by the extent of collaborations involved in integrating employees with mental health issues back to work as well as concern about compliance with human rights legislation. Needed accommodations in terms of approach to the work itself are often simple; however substantiating the need for adjustments is more complex. This case study introduces a model to support the development of shared goals and shared understandings for return to work (RTW) among workers with mental health concerns, employers, co-workers and therapists. The model of occupational competence is used as a basis to guide dialogue, identify challenges and generate solutions that take into consideration a worker’s preferences, sensitivities, culture and capacities in relationship to the occupational demands in a given workplace environment. A case study is used to demonstrate the potential utility of the model in assisting stakeholders to strengthen collaborations and partnering to achieve a shared understanding of worker and workplace needs. 1. Introduction Disclosure of mental health issues in the workplace is influenced by multiple factors including intrinsic and extrinsic issues. While there is legislation that protects a worker’s right not to disclose health information in the workplace, some workers may want to share aspects of their challenges....
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...KEY WORDS discriminant analysis handwriting occupational therapy child validation studies In this study we sought to validate the discriminant ability of the Evaluation Tool of Children’s Handwriting– Manuscript in identifying children in Grades 2–3 with handwriting difficulties and to determine the percentage of change in handwriting scores that is consistently detected by occupational therapists. Thirty-four therapists judged and compared 35 pairs of handwriting samples. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to determine (1) the optimal cutoff values for word and letter legibility scores that identify children with handwriting difficulties who should be seen in rehabilitation and (2) the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in handwriting scores. Cutoff scores of 75.0% for total word legibility and 76.0% for total letter legibility were found to provide excellent levels of accuracy. A difference of 10.0%–12.5% for total word legibility and 6.0%–7.0% for total letter legibility were found as the MCID. Study findings enable therapists to quantitatively support clinical judgment when evaluating handwriting. Brossard-Racine, M., Mazer, B., Julien, M., & Majnemer, A. (2012). Validating the use of the Evaluation Tool of Children’s Handwriting–Manuscript to identify handwriting difficulties and detect change in school-age children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66, 414–421. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2012.003558 ...
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...Curriculum Paper Lisa Lester ECE205 Introduction to Child development Brigit Fowler April 22, 2012 Developmental Delay can be easily detected by many if ones pay close attention to the growth and milestone stages within children. There are different things that cause a child to be delayed such as Genetics, if a child is born with a form of abnormalities in the chromosomes they could have Down syndrome for which they would have not only cosmetic problems but, it can cause them to have some other complications with speech, cognitive and motor skills. Another risk factor could be due to their environment whether it is lack of maternal care, exposure to toxins (drugs or lead); another thing could be if the mother has HIV or AIDs it passes to the fetus. Medical Professionals have said that infants born with fetal alcohol syndrome also suffer delay. Children with Delays are not always born with them, there are times that delays are due to a trauma at different ages, example could be a child is beaten and suffers brain trauma the end result can be brain damage for which they will have delays. There could be an accident for which a child endures serious injuries and are put in a medical coma, with that a child could suffer long term damage. Many things play a big part in a child having developmental delays. In order to effectively address a delayed child’s needs, an instructor must first know what area of development that child needs help...
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...ALZ HEIMER job shadow I have the opportunity to serve in Silverado Alzheimer center. It´s a heritage center and hospice too. It has a psychology and rehabilitation unit. There are patients of different Alzheimer´ Stage. Their goals is to provide the patient a better quality of life. Their goal is to provide a better memory to the patient to benefit the life of the patient and his family. There is an Occupational therapy area. It has many instruments. There are different balls, poles, math , mats, bottles, belts, hand cycles, ropes, etc. There are some chairs for the visitor. They can wait there while the patient finish his therapy. The Occupational Therapy room has three lines on the floor which the patient stand up to evaluate their ability to throw up balls, pad, balloons, foam rollers. They have all the Occupational Therapy objects organized in shelves. There are different settings. There is a rehabilitation room. There is one portable tablet, a huge exercise ball. Furthermore, Home care is one of the priorities. There are many home adornment , instruments and kitchen dishes as a decorations in the shelves of the halls. It helps the patient to feel like at home. There is a big dinning area which the patient relate with others and share time. There is a cultural hall which elderly have a variety of activities. I could observed three patients. The first patient was diagnosed with a a shoulder leisure several months ago and have dementia stage 2 since...
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...I want to be an Occupational Therapist who not only helps heal the body but the mind and spirit as well. I know I can only do so much, but I want my patients to feel comfortable in my care. I want to make a difference because even the smallest action can change a life. Currently, I want to learn more about dealing with children and adolescence. My motivation comes from various people including my mother, myself, and my family. Since day one, my mother has encouraged me to be the best person I can be. She has challenged and guided me to overcome every obstacle placed in my way. I am also a self-motivator. I am always trying to improve rather it’s with my GPA or something as simple as eating more vegetables. Sometimes your greatest motivator is yourself. My family is also a great motivator. They are always encouraging me to strive for goals that I believe I can't reach....
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...J A Collaborative Approach to Fall Prevention By ANGELA MERRETT, PATRICIA THOMAS, ANNE STEPHENS, ROLA MOGHABGHAB and MARILYN GRUNEIR The four partner organizations formally recognized their commitment and shared vision through a letter of agreement, which specified a framework, definitions and terms for their respective roles and responsibilities. The letter of agreement was intended to foster a sense of belonging among the group and identify leadership and governance for the project. The two site coordinators were responsible for preparing and coordinating the ethical review applications and letters of support. The team decided to use the existing practices of community service providers. To facilitate referrals of participating patients, the team first identified the existing service pathways. The hospital medical director distributed an overview document to inform emergency department physicians of the project, and the clinical nurse specialist reviewed the referral process, protocols and documentation with nursing staff. ore than ever, health-care providers need to communicate with each other to stay informed about the services clients receive. Working in collaboration is essential to the delivery of effective, efficient and timely care (D'Amour, Ferrada-Videla, San Martin Rodriguez, & Beaulieu, 2005; Interprofessional Care Steering Committee, 2007). We all had roles on the Geriatric Emergency ManagementFalls Intervention Team (GEM-FIT) project, which was aimed...
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...arm and hand functions that interfere with accomplishing goal oriented activities and vocational needs (Richards, Stewart, Woodbury, Senesac, & Cauraugh, 2008a). Knowing the best methods to promote motor recovery in arm and hand functioning is therefore critical in stroke rehabilitation. Lori Gage Richards, (PhD, OTR/L) is an active researcher and educator seeking to uncover which therapies drive neural reorganization after a stroke, and what are the most effective strategies leading to improvements is UE function. Richards is currently Associate Professor and Chair of the Occupational Therapy Department at the University of Utah. She was recently appointed editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and serves as Chair of the Nursing and Rehabilitation Committee-Stroke Council, of the American Heart Association. Additionally at the American Heart Association, she is a member of both the Leadership Council - Stroke Council and the Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery Committee - Stroke Council. Her current professional affiliations include the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Society for Neuroscience, and the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Motor rehabilitation is premised on the belief that behavior (e.g., practice and motor-based intervention) forces neuroplastic changes in the central nervous system (CNS) which lead to better motor function. According to Richards, Hanson, Wellborn, & Sethi (2008b) the current evidence...
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...relevance in occupational therapy with children. I will discuss some of the current literature surrounding groupwork and the merits of its use in occupational therapy. I will then analyse and discuss some of the factors in groupwork which influence the outcomes and effectiveness of the group including the group composition, the establishment of long-term and short-term goals, and the therapist’s style of leading the group. I will apply these factors to a specific condition for the purpose of demonstration. Finally, I will reflect on my learning of groupwork and how it will influence my future practice. Groupwork theory and use in therapy: Groups are defined by Mosey(1973) as ‘an aggregate of people who share a common purpose which can be attained only by group members interacting and working together’( as cited in Finlay, 2001, p.3). Acording to Blair(1990, as cited in Finlay, 2001) groups are ‘intrinsic to existence’. We are involved in family groups, classroom, peer, sport, work tasks and other groups. Group work is an approach that is widely used across occupational therapy and healthcare settings. ‘Only in more recent times have group practitioners and researchers begun to explore the use of group activities as a therapeutic approach’(Barnes, Howe & Schwartzbeg, 2008). This is in line with the renewed focus on occupation-based, client-based and evidence based practice(Barnes et al., 2008). According to Yalom(1995), there is much support for group therapy in response...
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...Psych 640 week 3 Individual VISUAL AND VERBAL IMAGERY paper Write a 500- to 700-word magazine article that discusses visual and verbal imagery. Include the following in your article: A contrast of verbal and visual imagery An argument about which of these you consider most important A justification of your argument with research Include at least three scholarly peer-reviewed articles, in addition to the course text. Imaginations allow individuals to use information and construct his or her own ideas. For example, individuals can imagine what his or her dream home looks like. This individual can see the home and describe what the home looks like. Anderson (2010) defined mental imagery as the processing of perceptual information without an external source. Visual imagery is the brain’s way of processing information as if the individual is actually seeing it; whereas, verbal imagery is the processing of information as if the individual is saying or describing the information. Visual and verbal imagery can use cognitive maps to make sense of his or her environment. A careful analysis of visual and verbal imagery allows an individual to draw conclusions about which form of imagery is important to them. Types of Imagery Visual Imagery Visual imagery is activated within the individual’s occipital cortex area (Fery, 2003). Motor actions require individuals to assess the size and shape of objects; thus, visual imagery provides the positions and movements associated with these tasks (Fery...
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