Interview Reflection

Overall, I believe the interview went well. I answered the questions professionally and appropriately. I prepared by reading over some of the resources provided and talking out the answers I would have to myself. The interview itself a lot faster than I expected. I was asked about 5 questions back to back and every interview I’ve been in before was more of a conversation. One thing I would change would be to prepare for the “tell me about yourself” introduction question. When preparing, I figured I would be able to answer that question on the spot but I struggled a little bit to get everything I was trying to say out during the interview. This is the interviewers first impression of you so I feel it is important to have a solid answer to that question. Through this experience, I learned that it’s important to prepare answered to questions to improve my confidence and have points that I would like to discuss in the back of my mind in order to insert them into the respective question.

Sexuality Reflection

This guest lecture was a great insight into a very important occupation that gets passed over by OT very often. I feel like this is due to health professional being uncomfortable discussing the topic or don't consider how their client's new condition or older age may affect their sexuality.  One thing I learned that I will be able to educate future clients on is the different arousal progression for men and women. If someone has had a life changing event and their sexuality is affected, educating on this will help them understand that they aren't "broken" but they just get aroused in different ways. I feel that this lecture gave me the tools to begin this conversation about sexuality with future clients when needed.

One group intervention would be to educate on a variety of adaptive equipment that could benefit older adults. This would be an informative session to provide them with resources and let them make their own decisions based on their particular needs. This could include a folded male masturbater in order to assist with limited ROM, lubricant, or a wedge to assist in positioning.

Another intervention could be to assist with positioning during intercourse. This would be a contrived activity where the partner could be involved or a blow up doll could be in the place of the partner if they felt uncomfortable. Through this activity, we would find what positions would work best for the client in order to give them the tools to be sexually independent.

Driving Reflection

One of the key take aways I got from our driving guest lecturer is that driving is an essential part to someone's independence and they are not likely to give it up easily. But as an OT, we must consider the safety of everyone else on the road and refer them to a driving specialist when necessary. I also learned that some modification can be made to cars to increase someones driving longevity, such as a large rearview mirror or blind spot mirrors for side mirrors.

One intervention that would be applicable to those with driving difficulties could be to work on reaction time by doing eye-foot activities. One activity could be playing kick ball. This would help their reaction time from gas to break when driving.

Another intervention could be Wii Mario Cart. This would be a fun intervention that would work on cognition, motor planning, reaction time, and rules of the road. All of these skills can impact their driving ability.

Nutrition and Aging Reflection

One key take away is that nutrition has an effect on every aspect of your body. Things such as decubitus ulcers can be due to malnutrition during a hospital stay. This is something I never considered before. Nutrition also has a lot to do with muscle strength and organ function. Protein has such an important role in preventing muscle atrophy in older adults specifically. Another key takeaway is to include the facilities RD in a patient's POC and talk to them about any muscle weakness and signs of potential malnutrition. 

One intervention idea would be to do a group cooking class for older adults. Within this class, we would teach important nutrition concepts and stress the importance of eating a balanced diet throughout the day. This could be done at an independent living facility where they are expected to make 2/3 of their meals per day. 

Another intervention could be working with a client that is transitioning from one environment to a more independent environment. We would discuss the importance of proper nutrition, come up with a weekly meal plan, and make some simple meals in the clinic before their d/c home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Glyph

Over this past year and a half, much of my idea of what a leader is has remained the same while some minor things have changed. Starting OT school, I really didn't see myself as a leader. I remember drawing the first image with the idea of a leader in my head. When I drew this last glyph, I answered the questions with myself as the leader. Through this program, I've had the opportunity to grow my leadership skills mainly through running journal club each month. That has really pushed me into a leadership role suited for me, while also giving me an opportunity to work on my public speaking skills. It has even sparked the interest of potentially getting into academia further into my OT career. I have a love for learning and would love to share that love with future OTs down the road. 

The most interesting change between my glyphs for me was the eyebrows. I initially saw leadership as a "out-in-front" type of way, and I now appreciate the behind the scenes work that makes a true leader. A leader is an essential part of a organization or group and in order for them to completely fill the roll, I now know a lot of behind the scenes work goes into it. It's not just speaking in front of people that makes someone a leader, it's all the preparation that goes into making a class or journal club successful that makes someone a great leader. Being a leader is more than just a personality trait. For me, it's doing something, even if it goes unnoticed, for the betterment of a group of people. That's a true leader. I'm so glad to have gained this new perspective through my OT education. I can't thank my professors and classmates enough for bringing out a side of me I didn't know existed. 

OT 640 Debriefing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KdapgBH9FQ

Here's the link to my debriefing for OT 640! I had a great experience and can't wait to hear everyone's stories when we get back from break. Have a great summer!

Neuro Note 4

On May 30th, our class had the opportunity to watch the Memphis Rollin' Grizzlies play wheelchair basketball during one of their practices. This was one of my favorite experiences in OT school so far. It was really interesting to learn about the sport. For instance, they follow what they call "modified NCAA rules". So that means, they follow the college basketball rules with some adjustments. Traveling is only called if they player is holding the ball for more than two pushes and charging is only called if the team member runs into someone without the intention of getting the basketball. Getting to see it first hand is an experience I will never forget. I expected them to be rough out there, but they exceeded my expectations. Also, the athleticism required for this sport is astounding. Never would I ever be able to compete at the level that they do.

I can see myself using this knowledge gained in my future practice. I think finding a group like this in the community that continues the competitive spirit of basketball while still having fun is something that a lot of people can benefit from. Especially someone at a young age with a new SCI. Showing them that sports aren't out of the question can be a big morale boost for an athletic individual. It's a way to get them connected back into the community, give them that support system of individuals that are going through similar things, and provide that team morale to let them know they are not alone in this. As we know, attitude has a lot to do with success and progress so giving a client the tools to improve their outlook could not only help their mental status but physical growth as well.

If anyone is interested in seeing the best wheelchair basketball team this side of the Mississippi, their practices are open to the public and they would love some people to cheer them on. They practice every Monday and Wednesday from 6-8 at the Glenview Community Center in Memphis, TN.

If you aren't in the area, but still want to show support, you can donate at their website http://www.rollingrizzlies.org/. They use the funding to buy new chairs, for travel expenses, and they have a goal of starting a youth league.

Media Project

Throughout this project, I gained a lot of knowledge and surprised myself with what I already knew. One of the most useful things I learned is that an activity can help a client in numerous ways. At first, I was focusing on Dennis' left neglect. I though the plant hanger would be useful to work on using that left hand because it's pretty difficult to tie a knot with only one hand. This activity would encourage him to use both hands. But then as I started thinking deeper, not only was this activity client-centered, but it was working on many other things that could be potential barriers in the future. It worked on spatial relation, finger flexion and extension, left/right discrimination, and even could work on his shoulder ROM by having him hang the planter in different areas of his rehab room. I was very happy with the outcome and feel like this would be an effective intervention for Dennis.

When I first started thinking of the assignment, I was stuck because I felt like I didn't really know the best intervention to work on a lot of his barriers. I was stuck in an EBP mindset and even did some research to see what was best for left neglect and didn't come up with anything too useful to me from an OT standpoint. I was trying to bring in that previous knowledge to make sure his intervention was effective but realized down the road that I was thinking too much into it. Once I started breaking down and individualizing his barriers, the hanging planter began to fit into place as the perfect client-centered intervention for Dennis. I now know that a big part of our job is to make sure the client is working towards his goals, finding his "clinical carrot", and doing all this in a creative, client centered manner.

This assignment is definitely going to impact the way I view interventions in upcoming fieldwork. We really focused on the client-centered part of intervention for this project and I believe that's because that is what distinguishes a good OT from a great OT. In fieldwork, I'm going to be looking out for that. Even as an OT myself, this project has made sure I never forget the importance of client-centered activities in our profession. 

Neuro Note 3

In the article, OT's Role in Helping Kids Understand Dementia, Mandy Chamberlain talks about Kathryn Harrison, an author of a children's book that helps children understand Alzheimer's and dementia. I was intrigued by this article because I had a great grandmother with Alzheimer's who passed away when I was only 5 and thinking back on my faint memories of her, I now understand the difficulties she was going through with Alzheimer's. I think it's important for there to be a children's resources like this for parents to turn to when their own parent is diagnosed with a form of dementia. If you think about the population of people older than 60, the likelihood of them having a young grandchild is probably pretty high. Having a children's book that explains this complicated disorder in a way that children can understand is not only further educating the family, but can help the client's relationship with their young grandchildren, which is something many people find meaningful.

I love how Kathryn Harrison explains from a personal standpoint how her kids were involved in her mothers life, even when she was in a nursing home. It really shows how health care professionals can impact not only the client, but their family as well. The nurses would teach her children (I'm sure with supervision) how to work the bed and explained what they were doing when taking vitals. This not only could potentially grow a health care professional out of those children but made the client feel included and that her family truly understood her situation.

This was a great article for people that have a parent with a form of dementia and young children as well; as described in the article, the "sandwich generation". I would love to read the book and see how it bridges the gap between young children and their grandparents with dementia.

Reference

Chamberlain, M. (2016, April 15). OT's role in helping kids understand dementia. Retrieved from https://www.seniorsflourish.com/kidsanddementia/

Inside the O'Briens

Inside the O'Brens by Lisa Genova gives in inside look at a family that recently discovered they carry the HD gene. Joe O'Brien lived his whole life thinking his mother died at a young age, in a state hospital due to 'being a drunk'. It's not until he gets the Huntington's diagnosis at age 44 that he realizes he was wrong. Genova does a great job educating the reader on the effects of Huntington's and what it does to a family. I even learned a couple things about the disease that I never thought of before reading, such as there is a grey area in genetic testing where they have enough CAG repeats that they could get Huntington's. Also, I learned that as the disease progresses, people actually lose weight due to excessive chorea. I never thought fidgeting could take up enough calories to have an effect like that. My favorite thing about this book was that Genova gave the perspective of Joe, as well as, Katie, his youngest daughter. With hearing Joe's thoughts, the reader gets a first hand experience of the social hardship of having the disease, the difficulty with symptoms and proprioception, and how the public reacts to Joe and how that effects him. With Katie, the reader sees the family side of HD. They get to see the difficulty behind the decision for genetic testing, the constant fear in every little clumsy thing they do, and what it's like to watch a loved one struggle with a disease that you could potentially get one day. Throughout the book, you find out that two of the siblings tested gene positive for HD but you never find out if Katie, one of the characters we grow to love, is positive or negative. I think this is for a reason. Katie represents a family coming to terms with the disease. It's not about being gene positive or negative, it's about learning to live your life to the fullest, no matter the circumstances and not letting HD define who you are or who you are going to be in life. 

Name: Joe O’Brien                                                                                         Date: 04/22/2018

Occupational Profile

Client Report	Reason the client is seeking OT services and concerns related to engagement in occupations (may include the client’s general health status)	Joe is seeking OT for relief of symptoms of Huntington’s disease. He is noticing an increase in chorea, causing weight loss, beginning to experience some muscle weakness in his jaw with slurred speech, and difficulty controlling mood.
	Occupations in which the client is successful and barriers or potential barriers to his/her success in those occupations (p. S5)	The client is independent when it comes to feeding and is drinking from a straw. He’s noticed barriers when it comes to some ADL such as self-dressing and has adjusted his wardrobe to sweatpants and t-shirts to accommodate. He is also worried about his anger outbursts that cause destruction of their home.
	Personal interests and values (p. S7)	Joe has been a Boston police officer for 25 years and takes pride in his independence and strength. He is a huge Boston sports fan, “Go Sox” and avid Irish Catholic. He values his relationship with his family, his friendship with Tommy and Donny, and providing for Rosie, now and in the future.
	The client’s occupational history/life experiences	Joe lives on the first-floor of his family’s three-story townhome in Charlestown, MA. He lives with his wife of 26 years, Rosie, and his youngest son, Patrick. His oldest son, JJ, and his wife live in the apartment above them and his two daughters live in the apartment above them. They all get together and have a family supper every Sunday. Hx: Diagnosed at age 44 with HD, mother died of HD. Two of four of his kids have been confirmed HD positive. Currently prescribed a neuroleptic for temper flare-ups by Dr. Hagler
	Performance patterns (routines, habits, & rituals) – what are the client’s patterns of engagement in occupations and how have they changed over time? What are the client’s daily life roles? Note patterns that support and hinder occupational performance. (p. S8)	Travis describes his current roles as husband, father, and friend. 8am-7pm Wake up Morning hygiene routine Watch news or Rosie’s recorded Oprah Go on a walk Work on the kitchen expansion if feeling up to it Go to yoga with Katie 7pm-10pm Eat dinner with Rosie Watch news or Red Sox game and drink a beer or two Nightly daily hygiene In bed with Rosie Since diagnosis, has a habit of using holy water to make the sign of the cross when entering and leaving his house to cleanse him of his sins.
Context	Aspects of the client’s environments or contexts, as viewed by the client (p. S28)	Supports to Occupational Engagement:	Barriers to Occupational Engagement:
	Physical	No physical supports	Chorea affecting performance in ADLs
	Social	Strong family support system, Rosie is understanding of outbursts and has friends at work looking out for him.	Being described as drunk or on drugs in public by people that don’t know of his HD diagnosis
	Cultural	Expected to be sufficient in work activities and provide for his family. Strong Irish Catholic family	Was forced to recently quit his job at Boston PD and is only receiving 30% pension to support his family
	Personal	High school education, graduated police academy at age 19, middle SES	Still young at 44 but experiencing difficulties in ADLs that wouldn’t typically be experienced at this age. Difficulty coming to terms with it affects of HD
	Temporal	In his later stage of life with 4 grown children and 1 newborn grandchild	Has been given the “10-20” years to live post diagnosis
	Virtual	Has a cell phone to text and call friends and family	No virtual barriers
Client Goals	Client’s priorities and desired target outcomes (consider occupational performance – improvement and enhancement, prevention, participation, role competence, health & wellness, quality of life, well-being, and/or occupational justice) (p. S34)	Joe’s number one goal is slowing the progression of his chorea. He values his independence and wants to prolong time without a walker or wheelchair. He also wants to be able to tell his kids and wife that he loves them in the later progression of the disease so working on mouth and jaw muscle strength is also on his list of goals. He is also dealing with lots of guilt associated with not knowing his mother died of HD and passing it on to his children without knowledge so some coping skills and stress management would be beneficial to Joe.

Neuro Note: Alix Reese

In an article entitled, Alix Reese: "I'm Still Myself", a young woman, Alix, is interviewed about her life after her spinal cord injury. Alix was giving her friend a ride home in Columbus, OH when she was caught in the crossfire of a street shooting. The bullet went through the back of her neck, damaging part of her spinal cord and leaving her paralyzed from the shoulders down. She uses a suck and blow device to control her motorized wheelchair and is on a ventilator but she's not letting that slow her down.

The one thing that stood out to me in this article was her attitude about her situation especially considering it was completely out of her control. She wasn't being reckless or doing something risky, she was doing a favor for her friend and her life was completely altered due to it. But rather than have resentment, she has a positive outlook and hasn't let the incident change who she is. She still loves science fiction movies and novels and is still planning on fulfilling her goal of becoming a teacher.

My clinical take away from this article is the importance of attitude when it comes to life altering diagnoses. Although she's 31 and living in a nursing facility with people over twice her age, she knows that she still has a ton to accomplish in life. The day she was shot, she was looking into going back to school to be a teacher or speaker and she still has that plan in mind today. I think that is a big part of ones attitude if they can still picture themselves accomplishing the goals they had set before the injury. That's something we as OTs can work on with them to do. Find their passion or goals they had pre-injury and find a way to incorporate that into their therapy and lives. 



References

Oliphint, J. (2016, May 27). People: Alix Reese: "I'm still myself". Retrieved from http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2016/05/26/people-alix-reese-im-still-myself.html

Neuro Note: Ray's ALS Journey

Ray is a nurse, husband, dad, bicycle enthusiast who was recently diagnosed with ALS. He has a blog, full of humor and sarcasm that is dedicated to telling his story. This particular article I read was entitled One Year. It describes his first year post diagnosis. He talks about his family life, what it was like to tell everyone that he had ALS, and the changes he experienced in the first year.

A couple things I noticed when reading is that Ray is using humor to make his situation better. Immediately, I go into an OT mindset and think if that's the reason he is still doing so well. Seeing the funny side of things, keeping a positive mindset, and having a supportive family all could have impacted his ability to stay strong through this progressive disease.  I also noticed that he has had to make some drastic life changes since his diagnosis.  Ray is the epitome of an outdoorsman.  He used to love mountain climbing and would ride his bike daily.  These are both important occupations for Ray that he has come to terms with not being able to do like he used to.  One of his bucket list items was to bike from coast to coast. One cool thing that people following the blog have done is kept track of how many miles they've biked in order for Ray to "bike across the country". They've accumulated 42,000 miles so far!

My clinical takeaway from Ray's story was kind of an "ah-ha" moment for me. In class we always talk about home modifications as if anyone can do them. Well, my "ah-ha" moment is that isn't always the case. Ray lives in a 100 year old house with no bathroom on the bottom floor. He talks about how they had contractors come look but that would be a logistical nightmare with their layout and having to live there during construction. He also mentioned the option of a chair lift for the stairs, but that it was way to expensive for them. Ray and his wife talked about moving, but they raised their kids in that house and didn't want to live anywhere else.  So my take away is a pretty important one for OT.  For some situations, a textbook answer isn't always the right answer for the family.

I loved learning about Ray and getting a first hand account of his first year being diagnosed with ALS. His thoughts and attitude is something that truly inspired me.

Developmental FoR

I found interest in the Developmental Frame of Reference.  It encompasses the the sequential aspect of development and how behaviors are influenced through the mastery of previous stages.  People develop at different rates but each stage of development can only be achieved once the previous stage is completed.  Developmental FoR included 6 adaptive behaviors: sensory integration skills, cognitive skills, dyadic interaction skills, group interaction skills, self-identity skills, and sexual identity skills.  This FoR works with clients of all ages from childhood on. According to this theory, functional development would mean completing the stages of development in sequential order.  An OT helps intervene with maladaptive behavior and promotes sequential development. In school aged kids, a therapist might observe their social interaction with peers to assess dyadic interaction skills.

Three key terms associated with the Developmental FoR:
1) sensory integration skills - ability to receive, select, combine, and coordinate sensory information for functional use
2) dyadic interaction skills - ability to engage in a variety of primary groups
3) self-identity skills - ability to perceive self as an autonomous, holistic, acceptable person who has permanence and continuity over time

Reflection on Health Promotion and Health Literacy

Today in class, we talked about health promotion in the field of OT.  Through this lecture, I got a better understanding of our role in a interdisciplinary group. Dr. Flick gave an example about a client she had in acute care in which the dietitian modified her meal plan to a no sodium diet. The dietitians goal was to improve the clients health through food consumed but failed to take into account the ability for the client to continue the diet plan post discharge. That is where the OT steps in.  The client had low muscle function in her upper extremity, and typically ate canned vegetables and microwave dinners because they were easy for her to prepare for herself independently. Both of those are high in sodium though, making this new diet difficult to achieve in her home setting. The dietitian and OT worked together to then make a plan that would still promote independence in the client and work with the new diet. I also learned about the importance of health literacy. Making sure a client has a clear understanding of what is going on and what is expected of them is essential to having success in the future.  If the client does not understand the purpose behind a task, they're less likely to do it consistently or with purpose. Mutual understanding and building a therapist-client report can help with communication and make the client feel more comfortable when asking questions, and therefore, have a better understanding of their health goal and how to achieve it.

OT Observation

When shadowing at an early intervention clinic, one of the OTs I worked with spent a ton of time with Theraputty. Since talking about the importance of using meaningful activities, it makes me question the extent of use for it. But at the same time, at such an early age, are meaningful activities as 'meaningful' to a 2 year old as compared to a school aged child. So from that standpoint, I can see the reasoning behind her actions. Some meaningful activities were used, such as feeding, and play based activities but they weren't the main event. I also shadowed a therapist that worked at a private school in Little Rock for children with special needs and the experience was the complete opposite. His sessions were almost completely full of meaningful activities. We were tying shoes, pouring water from a milk jug into a cup (the clients mom wanted her child to be able to pour himself a glass of milk without spilling it) and working on handwriting. I learned a ton from him including how to give the child an option of what he wants to do. He would write the activities to be accomplished that session down on scraps of paper and let the kid scooter over to the papers an pick one out. I'm glad I got experience with each side of the spectrum and will use it in my future practice.

Reflection on "Au-some Swimmers: The Role of OT in Swim Lessons for Kids with Autism"

This podcast truly helped me understand the importance of seeing an activity through an "OT lens". When I initially thought of swimming, I assumed it would be a predominantly leisure activity. But by looking through the OT lens, there are so many more components of the activity that can be transferred to other tasks or occupations. As Nick Murray explained in the podcast, teaching a child with autism to swim not only teaches them that activity, but works on other skills, such as sequencing, sensory processing, and motor function, that are important for the development of that child.
One example he gave really hit home for me. He told a story about a child with autism who hated getting his head wet. Not only does that make the task at hand, swimming, difficult, but also can make the daily task of showering or washing his hair difficult. By easing him into the idea and allowing him to pour water on the lifeguards head, making the whole experience fun for him, he warmed up to the idea and made progress towards the ultimate goal, submerging underwater and eventually swimming. Not only does this progress show up in the swimming pool, but I can see it transferring into his daily hygiene routine. To me, that's the beauty of our profession. We use meaningful activities to develop skills that will help in future activities and child development.

Occupational Therapy Performance Framework

The Occupational Therapy Performance Framework: Domain and Process is a document created by AOTA that describes a common understanding of the domain of occupational therapists and creates a vision for the profession. The purpose of the OTPF is to insure that all professional in the field of occupational therapy have a common understanding of the purpose of occupations, client factors, performance factors, performance skills, and context/environments of individual clients.

OT Advanced Certifications of Interest

A couple ideas automatically came to mind when thinking about further specializations within the field of OT.  Pretty much from the moment I knew I wanted to be an OT, I knew I wanted to specialize in assistive technology.  Technology allows us to accomplish tasks in a more efficient way than before.  Communication boards, for example, have improved so much in the past 15 years.  They're now giving people the opportunity to communicate with peers ease. Not only does it give opportunities but technology is such a fast growing field, there is always new information coming out and new opportunities to expand knowledge.

My Experience with People First Language

One of the things I am most thankful for as an OT student is the year I took off between undergraduate and graduate school.  At the time, I saw it as mostly a negative; all my peers were a year ahead of me, it pushed back my 'life plan' a year, and I didn't know how to occupy my time. That is until I applied for a job as a teachers aid at a local school for children with special needs, Access Group Inc. I decided if I was going to take a year off, I was going to spend that year learning first hand from therapists and teachers in a field that I hoped one day, I would be lucky enough to join.

Access didn't just teach me a couple things, it taught me everything. As the teachers aid, I was with the kids 100% of the day. I helped teach our Association Method in the mornings, was the leader of Simon says during break, supervised and assisted during Art, was the lunch lady and designated food cutter at lunch, and even put them in their cars at the end of the day and gave the parents a brief play-by-play of the events of the day before the car behind started honking. I'm not going to lie, it was exhausting. But by being with these kids so much, you really get to know them. You see their insecurities, their fears, their triggers, and help them learn how to talk it out.  One of the recurring things I saw in some of my kids was low self esteem.  Low self esteem because for some of them, they had been constantly reminded, whether from a difficult task or someone labeling them, that they had a disability.

At Access, we fostered an diagnose free environment.  They weren't kids with apraxia or down syndrome, they were just kids. I think this is a mindset that every person and future clinician should take on. The first step of that is to teach the importance of people first language.  Not because it's "politically correct" but because it reminds that individual that they are a human being first before anything else. Second, I think people need to understand when the diagnosis is even relevant.  Nine times out of ten, in a social conversation, someones diagnosis is not needed to complete the story.  Instead of being 'a boy with autism in my class' he should just be a boy in the class.  Why does the person you're telling the story to need to know he has autism?  Diagnoses shouldn't be used as adjectives. There's really no need.

As a future OT, I think this is an extremely important part of being an effective clinician.  We will be using diagnoses on a daily basis so it's easy to get caught up and think of them as a descriptive way to distinguish our clients.  Being aware of this, and actively promoting a people first approach will establish respect with clients and build self esteem.

Thanks for reading my two cents!

And for future reference, I'm probably going to bring up my crazy kiddos from Access any chance I get on future posts. :)

Best,

A Moderately Stressed OT Student