From a Margarine Tub to a Sock Aid: Being creative with household items to assist in ADLs

In my Neurological Aspects of Occupation Centered Practice course, we had the opportunity to show our innovative side as future occupational therapy practitioners. The project was completely randomized with us as a class drawing different household items or other materials from a bag and then being assigned to a client with a specific diagnosis and detailed description of the person's interests, roles, barriers, and level of function in various areas of life. While some people may have been assigned the same client no one had the same material to use, so everyone's project will be unique. For me specifically, I drew from the bag a "margarine tub or something similar" and then was assigned to a client named Paula. Paula is a 76 year-old Caucasian female with a primary diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease and then secondary diagnosis of cataracts and hypertension. Paula experienced several challenges and barriers with this diagnosis. Paula had several interests that included communication with colleagues and her husband. She also wanted to be able to use her computer and review manuscripts for a publishing company. However, it was stated that Paula had a couple priorities for OT Intervention which include independence in daily bathing and dressing. Therefore, that is what I focused on when creating my intervention for her. She was completely dependent in putting on her shoes and socks so I thought that it would be nice for her to be able to put on her socks independently with the help of a sock aid created from what was once a margarine tub. Crazy, I know. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to make this work. I did my research and stood in the grocery store playing around with different butter tubs attempting to see which one would serve the best for putting a sock on a foot. Not typically why one stands in the butter section, but hey I am going to be an OT so I guess I should get used to being creative in some very unusual ways. The day I was constructing the sock aid from a butter tub my family was having a cookout at the house, and I was the overly excited future OT running around with one sock on and asking others to try out my new product. I definitely got some weird looks at first, but it also gave me the chance to explain why, how and show people an example of how occupational therapists can help people in all kinds of ways with just about anything. Once I showed them how my sock aid worked, they were definitely impressed and found it cool that I thought to make it out of a butter tub. I did my little hair flip and proceeded to the next person to show out on. Putting my silliness aside in making this project, I used this item to make a sock aid to help Paula be able to put her socks on her feet, so that she isn't necessarily depending on others for everything in her life. Although putting your socks on is typically viewed as being a small and simple task, it definitely takes a toll on you when you are not even able to do something that was once so simple. I wanted Paula to feel more independent, so I took a margarine tub and gave her a way to put her socks on her feet without asking someone else to do it for her. I also thought that by teaching Paula how to use this sock aid she would be able to strengthen those muscles in her feet and work on her coordination in her lower extremities. Paula will also work on grip strength and fine motor coordination in her hands by gripping the straps and pulling on them in order to move the sock aid across the bottom of her foot. Overall, I had so much fun making this product and I feel like it will be very beneficial in my client's OT intervention process. Below I have included a picture summing up my client and why I chose to make a sock aid for her. I also have provided pictures of the different steps in using the sock aid as well as a before and after of making the sock aid.
Summary of Media Project:


A little Before and After Photos:
                                
Using the Sock Aid:
Step 1: Putting the sock on on the end where straps will still have the freedom to fall in order to grab these straps

Step 2: Pulling the sock over the sock aid to ensure it stays on when the foot is initially placed into the other end

Step 3: Placing your foot into the sock aid and holding on to the straps with your hands so you can pull the sock aid up


Step 4: Pulling up on the straps pulls the sock aid across the foot resulting in the sock going onto the foot
             
Step 5: Mission Success! The sock is now on the foot with the help of the sock aid!

Ruby Bowen: A Case Study Take-Away

Caroline did a great job presenting to our small group about her maternal grandmother named Ruby Bowen who suffered from Alzheimer's dementia. Ruby was diagnosed around the age of 75 or 76 and passed away at the age of 79. Ruby had many roles such as being a mom, grandmother, wife, friend, etc. Her interests were great in gardening and being a seamstress. As the disease progressed, Ruby began to forget who her loved ones were and was also very uninterested in participating in gardening and sewing due to being very lethargic. Caroline described it as a downward spiral and she progressively got worse with her ADLs and cognition. Ruby actually saw an OT during her treatment process with Alzheimer's and there were some goals but the specifics of those are unknown. Caroline suggested goals such as helping her with feeding and eating, dressing herself, carrying out a conversation with others, and just with more independence in ADLs in general. There were a couple long term goals mentioned that were definitely client-centered and well thought out. These goals were also supplemented with creative activities to assist Ruby in achieving her goals and working toward a more independent and happy way of living. Overall, the presentation was very informative and I found it interesting to here from someone who had a family member suffer from this diagnosis. It gave it a more personal outlook which was beneficial to learn from.

Neuro Note #4

For my fourth neuro note, I chose to watch a TED Talk about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The speaker in this TED Talk is a woman by the name of Nancy Frates who is actually the mother of a young man named Pete who was diagnosed with ALS when he was only 27 years old which is a very uncommon and unexpected age to be diagnosed with this disease. Nancy Frates is known as the woman who started the very popular "Ice Bucket Challenge" in order to raise money for research for ALS. When looking for a topic to do my neuro note, I saw this TED Talk and was instantly interested to learn her experience and perspective as a parent with a child who has ALS. Nancy in this speech goes on to talk about how Pete was diagnosed with ALS. Pete had suffered a baseball injury to his wrist and after months of waiting for the wrist to heal, they finally found a doctor who gave them an answer as to why his wrist was not healing. After the doctor gave them this surprising diagnosis, Pete had a vision to do something about the situation he was now in. Since at the time, there was not much awareness on ALS, Pete wanted to raise awareness and be an advocate for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. What I found most beautiful about this is how many friends and family of Pete came together in order to help raise awareness and find funding for research for ALS. His entire family wanted a roll to helping with Pete's mission including his mother. Pete went on to receive an award for advocacy for ALS and his mother found his mission during this time in search for an effective treatment and plan for the future for curing ALS. Nancy discusses how they had good times and bad times. She goes into detail about Pete's current status of him being paralyzed and using a motorized wheelchair, eye gazing technology, and monitoring his breathing constantly due to his diaphragm giving out eventually. The Ice Bucket Challenge was started shortly after this and it had an exponential growth spreading across the state, the nation, and even the world in only a month. There was a tremendous amount of money raised for the ALS foundation because of this and the under funding issue was not nearly has prevalent. Overall, I really enjoyed watching this TED Talk and learning about a mother's experience having a child with ALS. It was rewarding to see how strong a family can be when they come together and work toward a goal. They successfully raised funding for ALS and are now focused on the next goal which is finding a treatment and goal for ALS.



Frates, Nancy. (2014, October). Meet the mom who started the Ice Bucket Challenge [TED Talk]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_frates_why_my_family_started_the_als_ice_bucket_challenge_the_rest_is_history#t-975883

Jack Osbourne: A Case Study Take-Away

Caitlyn presented to a small group today about a man named Jack Osbourne who has multiple sclerosis. Jack has been in the spotlight the majority of his life due to his celebrity parents making this whole celebrity role an innate thing for him. In 2012, Jack was diagnosed with MS and that is when he experienced the symptoms of this disease the most. Since then he has been diagnosed with RRMS which is relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis so he is not currently experiencing any symptoms, but is likely to start experiencing them again. Jack has suffered through blindness in one eye, numbness in both legs, and also experiencing stomach and bowel problems before entering into the stage of RRMS.  Caitlyn mentioned that goals for OT services for Jack could be exercise and monitoring his mental health due to the increase risk of depression with individuals in the RRMS stage. Jack is a very strong advocate for MS and by no means has let this diagnosis limit his desire to live life to the fullest. He is currently very active and very proactive because of MS. Overall, Caitlyn did a wonderful job presenting to the group and I enjoyed learning about Jack Osbourne. 

My Case Study Presentation

Today I presented a case study report on Charles Sabine. Charles is a 57 year old man who has been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease. Charles is in the end of the first stage of HD and is currently trying to adapt to his environment with this disease. I enjoyed presenting to a small group about this case because I found this disease very interesting to do research on and learn about. Sharing with this small group was beneficial to me allowing me to share information I found and explain it from my point of view. I also enjoyed hearing the groups input and their ideas about treatments or interventions OTs could do. Overall, this was a wonderful learning experience and I had fun doing it.

Neuro Note #3

For this neuro note, I decided to watch the film "Me Before You". This movie is about a year old now and since it is a romance movie, I have , of course, already watched it. However, that was before I started OT school and learned about spinal cord injuries. I decided to watch this movie again with a new perspective and understanding of the process that the main character, Will Trainer, was going through. I paid closer attention to details I did not notice before or honestly really consider before learning more in depth about the physical and mental implications one faces when one suffers from a SCI. Will Trainer was a young man in his prime who was also very active and had many great things going for him in his life. As Will was leaving his home one day, he was in an accident with a motorcycle that caused him to have a spinal cord injury and resulting in quadraplegia. Will currently lives his days in a motorized wheelchair in the attic of his parent's home relying completely on the care of others to carry out most of his daily needs. As one expects, Will has a huge psychological toll taken on him. He enters a stage of depression, hopelessness, and anger toward all others who attempt to help him. He feels as if no one could possibly understand what he is going through and just how tragic it is to go from being able to do everything to hardly anything at all. One of the biggest things I noticed myself paying closer attention to is how the upstairs room has been adapted for Will. I took note of the open spaces, the lowered counter tops, the sliding doors, and overall the convenience of his own space to promote independence. Another aspect I paid closer attention to was the medication Will was on now because of the SCI and I know better now why he needs these type of medications to aid in treatment. However, one of the biggest connections I made was how Lou more or less ended up fulfilling the role as an occupational therapist. Given she was not licensed and was only hired as a caretaker, Lou took it upon herself to help Will feel more alive and to help him live a life he thought he did not have anymore. She took him places and showed him how life does not simply end because he is in a wheelchair. I found this part of the movie so important as a future occupational therapy practitioner. Lou had to first and foremost figure out what Will enjoyed doing in life and plan activities around that. While there were no interventions or preparatory activities done beforehand, I think it is still just as important to help an individual get back to a life he or she enjoys living. Overall, that is what we are about as the profession of occupational therapy, and I think that Lou was definitely on the right track. Sadly, the movie still ends in a sad way with Will choosing to end his life because the psychological impact had been too great on him already. However, I can't help to think that if someone with the heart like Lou had intervened in Will's life sooner and showed him how wonderful life could still be, would he have chosen differently? Would he had wanted to make the most out of the life he still had?

Powell- Braden, S. (Executive producer), & Sharrock, T. (Director). (2016). Me Before You [Motion Picture]. United States: New Line Cinema

My Learning Experience in Foundations of Occupation Centered Practice

I really enjoyed this class throughout these past few months. I feel as if this class was a solid way to begin teaching me about the profession of occupational therapy and everything that we stand for as practitioners. There were several things I learned from doing occupational profiles, code of ethics, scopes of practice, activity analysis, the history of OT, intervention tools and methods, goal writing, and many other vital important skills that really did help to build a foundation as I continue my education in this program and even into the practicing in the field one day. One of my favorite things we did in this class was the activity analysis. Although, it seemed intimidating I actually enjoyed attempting to do one accurately. I, of course, did not do it perfectly but I definitely learned the areas that needed improvement. Getting to share our activities with a small group in a class was also really exciting and I enjoyed hearing how my peers thought about different ways to adjust an activity if needed. If we could have done more activity analysis', I would not have complained! Overall, I enjoyed this class very much and learned a lot throughout its course!

Brandon Cox: A Case Study Take-Away

Kiera presented to our small group today about a young man named Brandon Cox and did a great job! Brandon Cox is a 22 year old male who was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis. Brandon has a passion for football and plays as a starting quarterback for Auburn University. Brandon is in the beginning stages of this disease and is being referred to OT to help manage the disease and still continue doing what he loves by being a student and playing football. The biggest physical impairment Brandon is experiencing is with vision and he is doing his best to cope with that and still be a starting quarterback. Kiera discussed different interventions or other adaptive devices Brandon could use to help assist in his daily life. Overall, this presentation was a very interesting one, and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about Brandon!

Occupational Therapy and The Code of Ethics

In the profession of occupational therapy, there are six main principles that OT practitioners should follow during the course of their practice. These six principles include beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy and confidentiality, justice (social and procedural), veracity, and fidelity. It is important for the occupational therapist to be sure to follow these principles and practice being ethical in all situations. Upholding these code of ethics ensures the best treatment for the client. It also builds a strong therapeutic relationship with the client while also building professionalism for the OT. All six of these principles are vital to making up the profession of occupational therapy. These principles identified by AOTA serve as a reference for occupational therapists especially in situations where they may be unsure how to proceed in a situation or when an ethical dilemma arises. Without these principles put into place, the definition of OT would not be the same. Occupational therapy is a highly ethical profession not only for the betterment of the client, but also for the betterment of the practitioner.

Occupational Therapy: A Holistic Approach

One of the most important aspects of  OT is the fact that this profession focuses on viewing an individual as a whole rather than just a problem or condition. Throughout the course of Foundations of Occupation-Centered Practice, this was heavily focused on teaching. Before beginning this course, I honestly was more likely to identify the problem of someone and then just work on treating that problem. Although we all know that there are so many characteristics that make up an individual's health and well-being, we are taught and programmed to look at the biggest issue and forget the rest. In a society where everything is so fast pace, it can be so easy to overlook underlying issues and just work on one in an attempt to accomplish a "quick fix". As an OT, one needs to realize that the healing process is not necessarily a fast process and that a person's well-being is more than just the obvious physical or cognitive impairments. Treating the person as a whole will always result in a more effective intervention providing the best results that have a longer duration for the client.

Ulla-Carin Lindquist: A Case Study Take Away

Lauren Newman did a fantastic job on presenting to the small group about a woman named Ulla-Carin Lindquist who was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 49. She passed away just a year later at the age of 50. Ulla-Carin was a news anchor is Sweden. She also had other roles such as being a mother, wife, journalist, writer, and a friend to many. Ulla-Carin did not live long with her diagnosis, but in that short time left she made the most of her life by writing a book describing her struggles and challenges in which she had to overcome. She went into detail about the disease and the different ways it affected her body. Ulla-Carin also had to overcome barriers to write her book by using an assistive technology computer where she used the movements of her nose and a webcam to operate the computer. She successfully finished her book and then passed away 3 months later. Lauren suggested excellent goals for Ulla-Carin that the OT should aim for. She also pointed out different interventions OTs could have used and various modifications that could have been made to the home. Overall, this was a very interesting and informative presentation on a strong woman facing such drastic changes to her life so quickly.

The Therapeutic Relationship Between the Client and the OT

Our most recent class of Foundations, we began discussing the therapeutic relationship that the occupational therapist and the client should form between one another. The therapeutic relationship is not like a relationship between family members or friends although it is based off of trust, empathy, and effective communication like other relationships. The difference in this relationship with others occurs with the goal of the relationship. Overall, the therapeutic relationship looks toward a goal to improve the client's well-being and health. It is a relationship with a therapeutic foundation. However, in order to maintain and create an effective relationship the OT must form trust with the client. There needs to be an element of empathy from the OT, but the OT must also be careful to not pity or assume characteristics of the client. Effective communication is also crucial from both sides of the relationship. Verbal and nonverbal communication must be carried out correctly and professionally. While there may be some communication barriers, it is the role of the OT to ensure understanding to the client and from the client to promote the success of interventions to be carried out by the client. Essentially, the therapeutic relationship has a very serious element about it, but it also requires some humor and easiness to make sure both the therapist and the client feel comfortable during the course of therapy.

Neuro Note #2: OT 537

For my second neuro note I chose to watch another TED Talk. I actually really enjoy watching these short videos because they tend to be interesting and very informative, so I find them beneficial to my learning experience. The TED Talk I chose to listen to this time is titled "Protecting the brain against concussion" by Kim Gorgens. I was not necessarily sure if I wanted to watch this one for my neuro note, but as I began the video I was happy I chose to listen to her speak. Kim discussed the relevance of concussions especially in children. She is a mother of an eight-year old little boy and has labeled herself as being somewhat of a neurotic mother when it comes to his protection. However, after she provided the statistics and prevalence of concussions in children I do not necessarily see her as being neurotic. Children are at a higher risk for sustaining a concussion given the various play activities they participate in. Gorgens went on to say that once you sustain your first concussion the likelihood that you will suffer from more increases tremendously. This is especially the case for children because children are more vulnerable to brain injury, so while an adult may recover rather quickly, a child does not have that same rate of recovery. Another point Gorgens discusses is the long term effects that multiple concussions has on an individual. Research has shown that individuals with multiple concussions tend to be prone to having early onset dementia in adulthood. Overall, this TED talk was aimed toward discussing the awareness of sustaining a concussion and how important it is to be aware of the risks. Gorgens is a strong advocate for wearing helmets whenever participating in activities that concussions are likely to occur such as football and riding a bike. I learned a great deal more about concussions and how the risk of multiple concussions becomes exponentially greater after enduring the first one. I definitely enjoyed this TED Talk and am excited to learn more details about the mechanism of concussions in class.



Gorgens, Kim. (2010, May). Protecting the brain against concussion [TED Talk]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/kim_gorgens_protecting_the_brain_against_concussion#t-370534

Improving Your Cultural Competence as an OT

Today in Foundations of Occupation Centered Practice we discussed the importance of culture differences and being aware of what individuals consider good or bad, desirable or undesirable, or even acceptable or unaccpetable to them. Being culturally aware is crucial to providing care and treatment in all healthcare professions, not just occupational therapy. However, when planning interventions and other aspects of care as an OT it is definitely important to be aware of your clients and not make cultural assumptions. There are several ways to improve one's cultural competence but an important first step would be self reflection. Simply learning about yourself and acknowledging assumptions or biases and then actively moving to rid those thoughts can completely change how you treat individuals and clients.

Specialty Areas in Occupational Therapy

Today in Foundations of OCP, we discussed different specialty areas in occupational therapy and why all of these are important. I enjoyed learning about these areas and getting a better understanding of each specialty. There are different requirements and tests that one is required to complete before earning a specialty. There are a few areas that I definitely do not have any intentions in specializing in but I still find them interesting to learn about. One in particular is the driving and community mobility specialization. I find the adapted vehicles so intriguing! I love learning about them and seeing how each one is different and custom made for an individual. However, I don't think that this is an area I would personally ever choose to specialize in because teaching others how to drive is not necessarily a strong point I have. So while the specialty is definitely needed and interesting, I can highly respect those who choose to specialize in this area because I know that it would not be an easy task at all.

Emerging Areas in Occupational Therapy: Autism in Adults

AOTA's vision 2025 states that "occupational therapy maximizes health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, populations, and communities through effective solutions that facilitate participation in everyday living". This vision is crucial to various developments of emerging areas of practice in the field of occupational therapy. There are several emerging areas that I read about and noticed that seemed very interesting to me as an OT student. However the one that stood out to me the most is the area of practice in relation to autism in adults. More often than not, people typically think that providing OT intervention or other therapy services is a strictly pediatric field.  In reality, that is far from the case and people typically forget the importance of working with individuals with autism as they progress into adulthood. 

I personally have always had a heart and passion for children with autism. Working with children who have autism is a huge factor into my decision to become an occupational therapist. As I was reading about this emerging area of practice, I realized that intervention does not need to simply end at childhood and early adolescence. Thinking about it all makes sense, but putting those thoughts into action is a completely different step. Therefore, I was especially intrigued by the emphasis on continuing intervention plans and treatment programs for adults who have autism. I read about an OT named Teresa May-Benson who is a huge advocate for this emerging area of practice and has developed programs for adults with autism that she practices in. I think she said it best when she said that, "Occupational therapy services with this population are necessary throughout the lifespan...". I believe that is very true because as an OT working with adults who have autism, it is still very important for us to help those individuals improve their quality of life, live comfortably in the world, and build/maintain positive relationships with others.

Sherri Woodbridge: A Case Study Take Away

Camille did an excellent job presenting her case study on Sherri Woodbridge. Sherri is an elderly woman mid 50s who was diagnose with Parkinson's Disease at the age of 44. Although she began showing symptoms in her early 30s she was not diagnose until years later. Sherri has a positive outlook on the diagnosis and does her best to make the most of it. She is an avid blogger and has won many awards/recognition for what she writes about concerning Parkinson's Disease. Camille told us all about how she copes with the diagnosis and various treatments that she has received. Although she doesn't mention going to occupational therapy, Camille made some good suggestions on why she should see an occupational therapist and what she could gain from this experience through different interventions provided. Overall, I enjoyed learning about Sherri Woodbridge and the obstacles she has overcame while making the most of the life she has been given.