Activity Analysis

Each day when I wake up I eat breakfast, usually cereal. My right arm starts in a relaxed extended position down by my side. To eat the cereal, I start by performing shoulder flexion until my arm sticks straight out in front of me. I extend my right arm out at the elbow joint to grab the spoon and flex my fingers around the spoon to hold it. Then, I flex my arm while also medially rotating my arm to bring the spoon to the bowl. I slightly extend my wrist in order to scoop the cereal out of the bowl. I then flex my arm even more to get the spoon to my mouth. The motions of flexion and extension at the elbow joint occur in the sagittal plane around the frontal axis. The osteokinematics of the elbow joint are extension to flexion in an open kinematic chain. In regards to arthrokinematics, the concave ulna is the moving segment when decreasing the angle between the humerus and the ulna. The concave ulnar surface rolls and glides anteriorly on the convex surface of the humerus. The prime mover for elbow flexion is the biceps brachii, which performs a concentric contraction.

Health Literacy & Social Determinants of Health - Session 28

Throughout this session, I learned what social determinants of health really are. I had heard this term before but have never had a full understanding. I feel like the "social" aspects that are important to one's health are often overlooked as they are not the first things that come to mind when we hear "health." Social determinants include affordable housing, quality of education, availability of resources, public safety, and much more. I know these are all things that would have an extreme effect on my mental health and quality of life, so it is important for us to remember this as practitioners in regards to our clients. 
With Professor Flick's lecture on health promotion, I gained a better understanding of "wellness" as well. I loved the example she used of the patient with diabetes who has recently had a toe amputated. It could be easy for us as OTs to think, "why does this patient need me for just an amputated toe?" But with our holistic approach, we should remember that we need to look at this client's health and wellness as a whole. Maybe this client had to have their toe amputated because he/she struggled with taking care of his/herself and participating in his/her ADLs which in turn put him/her in this position. Is there a barrier that we need to identify and decrease in order to improve this client's quality of life? Well we are the perfect people for the job!

OT's Role in Diabetes Management

I listened to the “OT’s Role in Diabetes Management” podcast. I chose to listen to this podcast because it’s something I’ve never learned or even thought about before, so I was interested to see exactly how OTs can help with management of type 2 diabetes. One thing that stuck out to me was the example they gave about an elderly man with heart disease and diabetes who has been labeled as “non-compliant” and a “frequent flyer.” As the OTs dive into the situation with a holistic approach, they find out that this man is the primary caregiver for his wife who has dementia. He has no family to help, so he drives himself to run errands despite his peripheral neuropathy. So, a lot of his so called “non-compliance” is really just that he needs help with his scheduling in order to manage his condition better or he needs more education in regards to taking his meds. This just reiterates how important it is to have a holistic approach and learn about a client’s daily routine.

It is important to educate and teach rather than scaring and giving consequences with bad things that could happen. Time management, goal setting, and prioritizing are all ways that OTs can help a client manage their diabetes. We can also help with ways to incorporate healthy food routines. As an OT, communication with other staff on your client’s case is important if you want to recommend something but do not feel like it’s in your scope of practice. I learned that OTs can even help with accessibility to options for transportation. These are just some of the multiple ways OTs can impact the lives of those with type 2 diabetes. Before I listened to this podcast, I thought “what can OTs even do in regards to diabetes?” I loved listening and once again learning how much OTs can do!

OT Meme

Me activating my elevator speech when someone isn't fully informed about OT:

Blissful Ordinariness

“Blissful ordinariness” is often taken for granted. It can consist of the smallest things. Lots of times the things that fall in the category of blissful ordinariness are things we don’t notice until we have an injury or illness that takes away our ability to do those things. For example, a client has had a hip replacement and now cannot bend over. The OT may give the client a reacher to use to pick things up around the house so he/she does not have to bend over. This could help the client get back to the blissful ordinariness of his/her life by not having to worry about how he/she will simply pick things up off the floor.

I think blissful ordinariness has everything to do with our profession. It is essentially our goal: restoring clients’ occupational performance so that they can get back to the ordinariness of their life. Even more than just providing the client with what they may need, we ask about his/her daily routine to see what is meaningful to the client. We want the client to not only be able to do what he/she needs to do, but also wants to do. We don’t just provide the client with the means to live their life, but we find out what motivates them and gives them a reason to WANT to keep living their life.

OT Setting

The setting I am most interested in is the pediatric outpatient setting. I think the reason this setting sticks out to me the most is because it is where I first fell in love with OT. My first shadowing experience was with my sister (an SLP) at Lebonheur's outpatient center. I thought I might be interested in speech, but after watching her co-treat with OTs and PTs, I knew OT was for me. I love the whole aspect of co-treating and think it's the most beneficial way to go about treating a diagnosis. I love kids, and working with them every day is my dream. I would love to be able to know that I am helping a child to one day be able to live their life to the fullest. I find the diagnoses in this area most intriguing as well. I also really enjoy the school systems. Despite the great schedule OTs can be on while working in the schools, I like this setting because you can be helping a child improve their skills to better be able to listen and learn in a classroom setting. I have worked a lot with the "Handwriting Without Tears" material so I find handwriting a very interesting area to work with kids with. All in all, I would just really enjoy any setting where I can work with kids!

Era Presentations

The era presentations were such a fun way to learn about our profession while also bonding with our classmates! I found out lots of cool information that I hadn't known before. Carolyn Baum was one person that stuck out to me the most. She worked to promote research and education that has improved occupational therapy. She has expanded on the holistic approach, understanding that engagement in daily activities looks different for every client. She was the AOTA president twice and was on the AOTF Board.

I believe one of the biggest changes has been for that of an occupational therapy student. The requirements to become an OT have changed from only being a 2-week course (1940s) to a Master’s degree (now).

Overall, I learned that OT as a profession has evolved in many ways (one of them being the transition from a reductionist approach to a holistic approach) but in some ways has stayed the same. And of course, with the advance in technology every day, there will always be new methods. I think learning about the history is important and has already shaped my experience as an OT student. I know throughout the next few years as I become an OT practitioner that I will remember what I have learned and incorporate my knowledge to be the best caregiver I can be.

One specific point from the 1980s that really caught my attention was that only 13% of jobs held were in the service industry. That’s including healthcare, financial, transportation, etc. Now, that percentage has made a huge leap up to 71%.

Another specific point that shocked me was that teaching styles changed according to different learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.) in the 1990s. This shocked me because this was just a short time ago, and it seems crazy to think we did not discover that people had different preferences on ways to learn until this time.  

Perhaps the most surprising fact, though, was the amount of people that cannot read their own handwriting currently. During the 2010s presentation, it was stated that a whopping 37% of people today cannot read their own handwriting. This is crazy! Needless to say, the era presentations were very interesting and also so much fun!