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- Diversifying our profession - #BlacklivesmatterIn Other Topics·9 June 2020Hi There, My name is Kristina Marchiori, I am a new graduate OT in Toronto, Canada. I am currently not very busy with clients due to the nature of my pediatric practice in this time of COVID. However, I have chosen to start a conversation within our Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy via twitter about the lack of diversity in our profession and the education around our profession, in response to the protests and call to action that have been amplified in the past week. I am a white, queer identifying female, raised in a middle class family and recognize that this adds to my privilege as an individual who was able to be accepted and afford completing a Masters degree. I wanted to use my voice to help amplify the voice of the Black community and get a conversation going. I am sharing this link below written by Lauren, who is an OT reflecting on her experience as one of two Black people in her office. https://gottabeot.wordpress.com/2020/05/31/black-ots-matter-changing-your-ot-practice-to-combat-racism-address-racial-trauma-and-promote-healing/ Please read the article and feel free to reflect in the comments. In the meantime, also I am interested in a couple questions if you don't mind answering Where are you from (Country is fine, just curious about difference outside of Canadian profession) How many non white OTs do you work with How many Black OTs do you work with In your OT degree, how many students of colour (non white) were in your class In your OT degree, how many teachers or guest speakerss of colour (non white) did you encounter in your OT degree, how many Black teachers or guests speakers did you encounter In your OT degree, did you learn about the lived experience of different cultures and how you as an OT could adjust your practice to be accessible/supportive of all? (this DOES NOT include your own research, previous education or self started learning) I'm not too sure where I want to go with this information (I don't really have funding or anything to start a large project) but I would like to get the conversation going so we can work on becoming a more diverse and accepting professional body for all of our clients and colleagues21172
- Cognitive AssessmentsIn Assessment + Evaluation·27 October 2019I have another question about cognitive screens applicable to the acute care environment which is related to the previous MOCA question. I have developed a brief functional cognitive screen, essentially a collection of cognitive tasks with a scoring system that can be performed by a non-impaired person in 15 minutes. I am trying to set up a research design that compares it to the MOCA but need some third measure to compare them both to. I was thinking to have people perform a specific cognitively-demanding task which can be performed in bed but can't come up with anything. Does anyone have suggestions or recommendations for a useful way to set up a comparison for research purposes? I would very much appreciate any feedback. Thanks, Heather Sloman, Toronto, Canada211607
- Managing Severe Hand Contractures in the Older Person.In Conditions + Specialisms·23 February 2020Hi, I am an NHS Community Occupational Therapist that is seeing an increased number of referrals for elderly clients, often with Dementia, and or in care homes with severe contractures of the hand. The referrals are made, generally, too late for palm protectors/ passive/ active ROM exercises/ Thera putty etc. I am looking for advice that I can pass onto the care homes a) to prompt earlier therapy intervention b) promote good hand hygiene/ tissue viability regimes (often when the clients are reluctant to engage with staff) and c) how to best manage the complex scenarios: such as poor hand hygiene/ severe pain and pressure sores to palm/ fingers/ thumb with dignity. Many thanks to OT Hub for sharing.211625
- Are there any advanced clinical practitioners on here and which area are you working in?In Career Development·8 November 2020211375
- Wellbeing Hubs: Working with CliniciansIn Role-emerging Practice·14 December 2021Hello, My name is Emily. An OT in the UK. I started in a wellbeing hub for NHS staff in the last few months. I am the only OT on my team, and really struggling with finding my identity as an OT in the team. We are here to support staff mental health and wellbeing. I was just wondering if any other OTS work in this area? Thanks Emily38273
- A day in my life as an OTIn Other Topics·28 November 2021Promoting occupational therapy to the mainstream public is fascinating. We are often called nurses or physical therapists, yet we are own profession. Working in the hospital, I very rarely was referred to as an occupational therapist although I never failed to introduce myself, including my profession and re-iterate to the patient that I would be providing them with occupational therapy services. This is not uncommon no matter the setting you work in and why it is important for people to be aware of what occupational therapy actually is. From the time I wake up in the morning, I am occupying my time with activities which make me who I am. This continues through the day until I am finally asleep at night. This is my occupation, this is occupational therapy. In layman’s terms, occupational therapy encompasses everything we do from the time we wake up in the morning until the time we go to bed at night. For all individuals completing activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) is the occupation we must be able to complete safely and as independent as possible while maintaining that safety. I believe I never leave my profession far behind me no matter what I am doing. I am an occupational therapist so it is important for me to take care of, care for and make sure others are safe. I am continually observing the environment, assessing the situation and analyzing people as I encounter them. By no means am I doing this in a negative or condescending connotation; I have done this to ensure I am being the best occupational therapist I can be. I am continuing to learn through my environments. Currently, I work in a pediatric clinic therefore I am challenged with the daily routine of not only providing treatment to the child, but also the family. Being flexible in what I think, what I do. I seek information to guide my sessions through listening what the patient is asking even when they aren’t speaking. I often listen to more than just the parents report about the recent activities of the child, but also what their body language is saying. These are not skills I learned in school, but what I have learned over my 18 years as an occupational therapist. This is an important aspect of this job as it helps us as professionals to better understand what our patients are experiencing. It has also been beneficial in building a good rapport with all of my patients or their families. Throughout the day, I see an average of six hours of treatment time. This allows for some time for documentation and some time for lead therapist duties. Treatment times are usually 30 or 60 minutes with leeway for behaviors, endurance and arrival time. I am able to adjust my treatments accordingly and have done so since patients often aren’t able to tolerate our recommendations. I have extended sessions when needed to allow for a patient to get a full session or to engage in the time in which the patient could endure. My treatment sessions consist of ocular exercises to enhance vision skills; strengthening exercises to improve grasping patterns for feeding or writing, posture to sustain an upright position while seated in a chair; ADLs to enhance what the parents have done at home when they are having difficulty progressing age appropriately; integration of primitive reflexes for coordination, sensory processing and regulation. I address a variety of areas impacting the patient’s ability to functionally engage across all environments. Although I thoroughly love the career I have chosen, it is not completely stress free. We have deadlines and expectations. We have advocate for our patients to receive the services in which we are trying to provide. Parents count on to be their confidant or will use us as the wall to bounce their ball of complaints from. As professionals, we have to be neutral, providing support for the parent even when we can understand both sides of the story. Scheduling can also be a stress factor as our scheduling staff prefers to schedule each therapist with a full day without time for documentation. This increases the stress within and across the therapy departments. Communication is key to a cohesive work environment. Ensuring changes are made in accordance to the plan of care, not because the parents want their child to be seen. Staff needs to understand why changes cannot be made or when the change is made to allow time to plan for an unexpected treatment session. Every aspect I have discussed here is the reason I do what I do. I chose to be a caregiver; it is what I always wanted to be. I love to see my patients and families grow in their skills and become independent. Learning is ongoing in every environment I have worked and this has been amazing. Being an occupational therapist is something I would never change, stress or not. I set forth to live, learn, and apply the skills I continue to do every day, and I will continue to do so until I no longer can. For additional information about the me please see: Thank you to SWS for allowing me to utilize the pictures from our clinic, website and Facebook page.52766
- Palliative and oncology resources?In Conditions + Specialisms·12 December 2018Hello all, Does anyone here work in oncology/ palliative services. I am doing some research and would love it if anyone could point me in the direction of any information that is available online / or that there services have produced or anything that helps you with your practice in this field. Many thanks Katy37148
- Topic for the Month- Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)In The OT Journal Club·6 April 2019Facilitator of the Month| Tasneem Rangwala, Mumbai, India The following article is an open access article published in Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy in 2017. The link for the article is provided at the end of the post. Aims and issues addressed by the article: The article intends to find out the effectiveness of the program that was designed to provide information to the parents of children with ASD about factors of food preferences and approaches for coping with problems of selective eating. The said article not only discusses the eating behaviors of the children but also addresses the self-efficacy of the parents, degree of difficulty experienced by parents to feed their child and parental recommendations. Firstly, the article shortlists the factors that lead to selective eating behaviors in children with ASD. Next, the article describes about approaches undertaken to tackle selective eating in children with ASD. Why does it matter? How does it fit to what it already known? The awareness for ASD has increased in the past few years. Selective eating is often reported by parents and discussed with the Occupational therapist but it is not given much priority as providing with primary intervention. The authors of this study claim that it is the first ever study done to address selective eating behaviors in children diagnosed with ASD that involves parental discussions and training. Moreover, the study provides with a comprehensive view of the factors that lead to selective eating and approaches that can be undertaken to combat specific food preferences of children diagnosed with ASD. Study design: Single group, self-controlled trial that compared variables at baseline and before and after the intervention. Study methods and Intervention design: The participants were 23 Japanese speaking parents of children diagnosed with ASD, recruited from 2 out-patient development support centers in Osaka. The eligibility criteria were that the parent had attended all program conducted in the study (2 sessions and 2 discussions), their respective child is diagnosed with ASD/scored more than 15 on social communication questionnaire and lastly had difficulty with their child’s selective eating behaviors. Outcomes: a) The changes in parental attitudes b) Changes in eating patterns of children with ASD. Main Findings: The most common approaches used by parents were to change the disliked texture, gradually mix the preferred texture and change to favored flavors and tastes. Results: The results included significant decrease in the level of difficulty perceived by the parents in feeding their child with ASD, a significant increase in the degree of self-efficacy of the parents and in number of recommendations carried out by the parents which were provided/taught to them. There was also an increase in the number of food items that were acceptable to the children with ASD who demonstrated selective eating. Implications: 1) The authors mention that in their next trial, they would increase the number of approaches that can improve the degree of self-efficacy and decrease the difficulty perceived by the parents to feed their children with ASD who report selective eating. 2) Further development of this program can aid Occupational Therapists in implementing better intervention strategies in order to increase the amounts/varieties of food for children who demonstrate selective eating. Limitations: 1) No significant change was found in the degree of dietary imbalance or the number of foods acceptable to the children 2) Some parents found it difficult to follow/implement the recommendations to improve selective eating in their children with ASD which led to decrease in number of parents who participated in each session. 3) It was taxing to address selective eating in children that demonstrate strong preferences for only one to two food items. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the proposed intervention can be used as an introductory program for parents who experience difficulty with regard to selective eating behaviors in their children and resulted in short term improvements in quality of life both of parents and their children. Facilitator's Comments: The process of eating is a part of basic activity of daily living that help us humans remain functional. Having a limited a food repertoire, a child with ASD may be deprived of essential nutrients necessary for growth and development of body and brain. The said article based on selective eating behaviors which are common in children with ASD is a detailed interventional study that not only focused on the limited food preferences but also addressed parental views, perceptions, difficulties and their efficacy. The interesting part in this study was that the parents shared their own experiences during the discussions that helped the author and the other participants (parents) to either relate to the issues or provide a better approach to tackle the same. Though a level 4 study, the intervention program proved to be effective to deal with the concerned issue of selective eating. However, the article could not give significant evidence as to the dietary imbalances and for the required approaches to adopt for children who demonstrate a strong liking to 1 or 2 food items. Link for the article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6092012/ PMID: 30186077 PMCID: PMC6092012 The article is available at www.sciencedirect.com Please share your comments, knowledge and ideas below!!! Happy Autism Awareness Month!37399
- Outcome MeasuresIn Assessment + Evaluation·27 October 2019Hi All, I’m in a lovely position of setting up a new service. I’m looking at outcomes. I would really value your views and experiences of different outcome measures. Especially if in a Social Care or Intermediate Care Setting. Thanks in advance!37498
- Environmental assessmentsIn Assessment + Evaluation·31 October 2018I was wondering what Occupational Therapists are using as an assessment for environmental considerations ? There are some broader templates out there that include some environmental aspects, but only a few dealing solely in this area (e.g. Westmead home safety assessment).44391
- OTs in Primary HealthcareIn Student Spaces·19 November 2022Hi, I'm currently a 2nd year OT student and am doing a paper on system change. does anyone have any ideas on how they would like to see occupational therapists more involved in primary healthcare?44310
- Occupational Therapy and CoronavirusIn Other Topics19 March 2020Managing stress How levels vary and how to lower them. The more coping mechanisms we have (holes emptying the bucket), the greater our ability to tackle life's challenges!51
- OT and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) - UK help please!?In Service Development9 April 2024Hi, would be great to hear where you got to with this. I’m currently working as a Care Co within a early intervention team and been given the opportunity so set up an OT service within the team. Would be very interested what has worked / not worked in other EI services. Thanks Rebecca10
- Sleep & FatigueIn Conditions + Specialisms·10 July 2021Hello! I am an occupational therapist with a special interest in sleep health. Based in South Africa, our lockdown is still quite strict so at the moment I am focusing on spreading awareness about sleep health and the effects of sleep deprivation on function. Otherwise I provide intervention virtually. I would love to start a conversation with OT's who are interested in sleep and to share knowledge, experience and problems we each have so as to grow this very important field in the OT scope. I have many resources such as articles, assessments and interventions and hope to share them here to foster any interest into sleep health that others have. I am also available via email if anyone would also like to connect there tanya@sleep-ot.com and my website is growing and would love some visitors too www.sleep-ot.com. Sleep. Perform. Repeat. 😀29458
- Moving and handling help requiredIn Moving + Handling·25 June 2019Hi All. I've been working with a lady with Alzheimers who still sleeps in a double bed (alone) which is up against the wall and there is limited space. She has 2 carers who help with all transfers. She is still able to follow some direction but takes some time to process the requests. Getting into bed is fine, the issue is the morning. She turns 90 degrees and ends up horizontal in the bed overnight (head towards the wall and the feet by the edge of the bed where she get outs). Carers are struggling to get her to turn on the morning as she takes a long time to wake up. She also removes her pad overnight. Carers are now moving her doing gradual increments, which concerns me because of friction. Slide sheets are difficult to fit due to the overreaching and soiling. I'm concerned about wendy-letts as she is obviously 'active' overnight. And she has fallen from a profiling bed previously and family have said that they do not wish for her to be in one. I have also consdered Phil-e-slide but again possible that she'd slip out of bed (more slippy than a wendy-lett) and the Etac but concerned that she may move over the 'brake' and again slip. I feel that i'm at a bit of a loss of any other ideas. Anyone out there have any ideas? The 2 suggestions i have had so far are phil-e-slide making sure carers are always tucking it in on leaving! and Profling bed, set low to the floor overnight with an etac.29780
- OT in a mental health/dementia care homeIn Conditions + Specialisms·2 May 2021Hi there, is there anyone with experience of working in a care home environment for adults with severe and enduring mental health conditions, including a section for residents with advanced dementia? I literally just started working in one and I'm the first OT ever employed there. Hence, there isn't much in place, in terms of an activity schedule or activity tools. There's a small kitchen that can be used. However, the mental health patients are all pretty unmotivated and unwell. Where to start? I tried a COPM with a resident and had to abandon it because he wasn't grasping the concept of rating your satisfaction. The goal of therapy would be to get people engaged but not so much in order to plan discharge as they are unlikely to ever be able to live independently. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!29673
- New starter in Neuro RehabIn Conditions + Specialisms·1 June 2019Hi, i started a band 5 position in a neuro rehab setting in the uk, am looking for tios, suggestions on working with patietnts recovering from a stroke...36291
- AssessmentsIn Assessment + Evaluation·18 June 2018Hello everyone, I would love your help to find assessment list for different fields. With respekt Arlinda Canolli36395
- Occupational Therapy and CoronavirusIn Other Topics13 April 2020I am a Mental Health OT working in a community hospital. I wrote a wellness resource for patients in our hospital who are on precautions; my boss promoted my efforts, and my hospital's PR department was really motivated to develop it for our patients. I truly believe that as OT's we are uniquely positioned to do good. As a mental health OT I hope that this can reach as many people as can benefit. OT Strong!!!43
- Sleeping in Riser Recliner chairsIn Equipment, Aids + Adaptations14 October 2019Pressure care, lymphatic drainage, circulation, contractures, posture management all considerations xx I had a lot of service users who used to prefer their chair, often due to feeling more secure in sleeping position due to the arms, an ax with a sleep system consultant was helpful for a few. Others found an air mattress really uncomfy, so work with nursing team to look at alternatives and to weigh up pros and cons of going back to a mattress without air. Xx43
- Sensory activities for adults with learning disabilities and autismIn Creative Practice·8 June 2023Hello! I am an occupational therapist working in a non-OT role with a charity which provides supported living and day opportunities for adults with LD and autism. Our activities are often focused on an end product. For example, our weavery and pottery aim to make products which can either be used by our residents or be displayed or sold in our shop. Whilst I love that aspect of my work and it makes for a meaningful activity for most of our residents, I feel there are some who would benefit from sensory activities, where the focus is more on the actual doing and exploring and less so on a desired end product. I am looking to make a case to my managers for the development of sessions which focus on sensory activities, especially for those residents who can't (any longer) engage in our mainstream day opportunities, either because of their autistic traits (which make it difficult to fit into a group environment) or because of dementia or other age-related deterioration. My problem is that, whilst I have maintained my professional registration, I have not worked as a OT for a few years and I feel a little out of touch. Can anyone share their thoughts and ideas or give me any pointers towards the best organisations, websites, training or reading materials, which would help me make a good case to my managers for this? Thank you so much! 🙂35192
- Picking a Setting: I am graduating this yearIn Conditions + Specialisms·27 January 2018I am a planner. I am sort of out of my comfort zone by not truly having a setting picked prior to graduation. I am interested in what real OTRs feel the advantages or disadvantages of certain settings are. I am drawn to Neuro (mostly inpatient but I still love outpatient), hand therapy, and working with Veterans/active duty military. I am weighing pay, documentation, hours, mentorship, relocation needs, familiarity, job security, wants for a challenging setting, certifications for advanced practice, productivity etc. I would love to hear any/all thoughts!28123
- *Looking for OTs living or have lived in Southeast Asia*In Culture + Working Abroad·31 October 2022Hello everyone! My name is Husna and I am a registered OT living in New Zealand. I am intending to do my PhD that will be focused on the experiences of OTs from Western countries living in Southeast Asia. I'm open to OTs from a variety of settings including the community, hospitals, schools, clinics, universities and more! At this stage, I'm just interested in hearing your experiences of being in Southeast Asia. In return, I'm really happy to share more information about New Zealand's healthcare system for those who might be interested in moving here. You can contact me by responding to this post or through my email: h29maira@gmail.com Thank you!35135
- OTs working with Parkinsons patients and carepartnersIn Career Development·11 December 2022Hello! I am not an OT—I am a certified Dance for PD teacher in Philadelphia PA, currently in my 3rd year of a grant from the Parkinson’s Foundation to improve the activities of daily living of cohabiting patients and carepartners. The program employs novel methods of training visual, auditory and tactile cueing for more intimacy and better communication between partners. This year, I am eager to collaborate with OTs on Zoom who might be interested. Please contact me: Judith.sachs@gmail.com.4296
- OT + Brain Injury RehabilitationIn Conditions + Specialisms12 May 2020Hi Jamie, I am an independent OT who works with adults in the community who have had suffered a TBI. Before this I worked in both acute and inpatient neurorehab in London. I mostly work in cognitive-behavioural rehabilitation and from my perspective, it is important to know about the impairment stuff and pathology of injuries however, in my experience, the medical model is not so useful for guiding OT in long term neuro rehab. If you see people who are 1 -2 years post injury, understanding the biopsychosocial model will guide your rehab much better and help you formulate treatment plans. I would advise you go back to the routes of OT as discipline. I would recommend reading some of Karen Hammells work on the limitations of using the ICF and OT client centred practice. Neuro-rehab in the community is as much about mental health and coping with changes to identify, as it is to do with 'cognitive rehab'. Compensation strategies rarely work unless the individual is ready in themselves to start using them. The complexity as of rehab is supporting them to get to that point. The MOHO provides some good grounding for thinking about the individual as an occupational being. Also useful is theories such as Occupational identity, occupational justice and deprivation. You should also consider about your communication skills and how you interact with the client. Motivational interviewing has good elements to it. Be aware of its limitations though. Mark Holloway wrote a good article discussing this (2016 I think. A recent model that is being used in the community is the Empowerment behavioural management approach. There is chapter about this is Neuropsychological rehabilitation (2017). This considers the system around the client and is about empowering them rather than others making choices for them. This is particularly relevant for OT when considering goal development and how you communicate to clients. Its also a framework to guide support workers and families. Fatigue management is another area if real importance that OTs are involved in. Donna Malley has done some really good articles about this. Her research paper 'Fatigue after ABI: A model for clinical management' is great. I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions about the above! BW Alex42
- Which is your favourite OT book?In Other Topics·8 July 2020Books render knowledge and good reads inspire as well as create professionals. Call it a curiosity thing, I want to know which OT book is your favourite or inspired you in choosing your current OT path. I request you to please spare some time and drop your favourite OT book's or an OT related book's name ,no matter which area of OT it represents.110190
- What general OT books to buy?In Student Spaces·2 February 2020Hello , I am Beena Pretty OT third year student studying in India. I need some ideas about what general OT books to buy. And if you are willing to give or sell me some used OT books it will be useful For Me.. Thank you..27217
- OT clinician yoga practiceIn Your Well-being3 June 2020How to get registered??27
- Topic of the month: (July- August 2020) Rehabilitation Robotics: A systematic review.In The OT Journal Club14 July 2020very apt article for discussion...and well formed observations. I wanted to ask..In your last point you have mentioned that a study using rehabilitation robotics in home setup is needed .. but how much practically possible is it? Coz almost all the high end robotics device that we use atleast currently in India, I don’t think it’s practically possible to do a whole study in home setup? What are your views on this?34
- OT Career Development FrameworkIn Career Development·9 November 2019This framework has been developed by the Royal College of Occupational Therapy to guide learning and support continuing professional development, it has a range of ideas and information to help enable career progression. https://www.google.co.uk/url?q=https://www.rcot.co.uk/sites/default/files/CAREER_FRAMEWORK.pdf&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjAupbr0d3lAhWyoFwKHYHxBtUQFjACegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw3M-MR00eUUIM0sMfURp734219
- Which area of OT?In Conditions + Specialisms·20 February 2019I’m really keen to find an area of OT that I really want to get my teeth into and to potentially specialise in. I’m currently in a rotational post working in an acute setting. The original plan was to rotate around, get some experience and hopefully stumble upon an area I like. However, I’m starting to think that what I’m looking for isn’t something I’m going to find in an acute setting or maybe even an area of practice! I’d like to find an area of practice (in any area of health and social care/physical health or mental health) in which people aren’t acutely unwell, and the role of OT is to improve functioning (rather than managing a progressive condition e.g). Ideally working in the person’s own home. Does anyone have any suggestions at all please? I’d be really grateful!34215
- Sensory Profiles and Mental HealthIn Approaches + Frameworks·30 August 2021Hello, I work in adult community mental health in Wales (UK). I have been fortunate in working alongside a consultant psychiatrist who specialises in ADHD, and I've also worked closely with specialist (adult) ASD nurses and OTs. I'm struck by the functional similarities in many of the adults using mental health services, particularly people who may have a diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder, or schizoaffective disorder. As an OT, I'm interested in supporting clients to improve their occupational performance - whatever their diagnosis - and I suspect some of the assessments and interventions used in ASD and learning disability services could be used successfully in adult mental health - and vice versa! Particularly around sensory processing. Does anyone share this interest? Or have any ideas of where I could look for further information?34742
- Topic of the month: (July- August 2020) Rehabilitation Robotics: A systematic review.In The OT Journal Club15 July 2020Amazing article and observation. Technology is building it’s relationship with the rehab world. With Covid 19, more and more practitioners are trying to brainstorm ways to make the rehab service available to their clients. The model is shifting from hospital based to community based on a rapid pace. As a OT practitioner, I have always tried to be as creative and as aware of the recent advances in the field. Fortunate enough to apply gaming, metronomes and now wearable technology in my practice. Based on the researches and application outcome, I can confidently say TechRehab is the future..!! All the best.. Nelofar41
- Maintaining our Wellbeing as CliniciansIn Your Well-being19 April 2020Hi everyone, This is a great post, such an important topic and one I've been reflecting over properly over the past six months. What sorts of tasks/strategies do you do to support your wellbeing as clinicians? Burnout is a real thing, unfortunately...I feel that I've been sucked into some of the negativity and aimlessness that happens during a couple of places I've been and this doesn't help. I think for me, one of the most useful things has been to reflect on what I actually enjoy, and what I really think, rather than go along with the flow and to 'absorb' the culture of the place (which has been negative or just lacking in focus/enthusiasm). It has helped for me to reflect whether it's what I actually think, or whether I think that because the place I'm at is contributing to how I think and feel. My workplace has been running 30 minute, guided meditation sessions once a week for staff, and it's counted as work time/professional development. It's not just for Occupational Therapists, but for any staff working at this hospital.. and I've found that it has really helped. I'm a chronic over-thinker at the best of times and so it has helped me to calm my mind and to do something for me - as a result, it has helped my work and improved my practice. Otherwise, I try to switch off when I'm not at work - getting back into my creative hobbies such as photography. Playing squash a couple of times a week, getting out and about over the weekends. Naturally it's a bit different now being in lockdown due to COVID-19, but I can still find ways of keeping this up. Just looks a bit different at the moment. I've also been terrible at planning my annual leave and so this year, we used part of my supervision session to plan out my leave throughout the year and to make sure I had a long weekend booked in for each month. Overall, a lot of reflection this year and giving myself permission to put up some boundaries after years of just doing a little bit more and adding on bits and pieces to my own workload. I'm hoping that this will help me to enjoy where I'm at more.41
- Dystonia - upper limbIn Assessment + Evaluation·30 January 2023Can anyone suggest a simple assessment (free to access) for dystonia ie some kind of self- rating scale?41168
- brochures/pamphlets availableIn Conditions + Specialisms·13 August 2018does anyone have a brochure/pamphlet that outlines what a paediatric OT can offer? looking for existing things before creating my own1977
- Cigarette holder for wheelchair userIn Equipment, Aids + Adaptations·16 May 2018Does anyone know where or what we can use for a client to be able to smoke safe and independently? He has cerebral palsy, minimal hand function, unable to grasp etc. And would benefit from some kind of equipment that can be put on his arm rest /armchair where he just needs to lean forward to snoke it. Normally I dont encourage smoking but this is really meaningful for him. Any ideas will be fab thanks!191631
- Career opportunitiesIn Culture + Working Abroad·5 March 2019Hello great therapists.whaat opportunities are available for occupational therapy assistant trying to relocate from Africa.i need assistance with job or sites to find job or visa sponsorship job.contact me on opexists@yahoo.com2662
- ‘Almost’ Fully FledgedIn Student Spaces·7 January 2020With final placement complete and the end of my course just a month away, I am almost a fully fledged OT. On a personal level, this last two years have been a series of ups and downs, with many periods of crisis when I have doubted my ability - I almost quit after my first term because I didn’t think I was cut out for a masters level course, especially the standard of writing expected. On reflection, this has all been a valuable part of my development and growth as a student and future OT. With this in mind I am feeling proud of myself for sticking it out and very grateful for the friends, family and lecturers who have helped me to (almost) achieve my dream and supported me through many a period of panic and doubt. However, I am also apprehensive as to what the future holds. Looking at all of the opportunities that are available is almost overwhelming and it is difficult to decide what direction to take. Having loved working in an acute hospital, beginning band 5 rotations seems a sensible path, but I feel there are so many other options that I am not quite ready to rule out. For example, being an OT within learning disabilities; this is the area in which I first came across OT and that drove me to explore the career choice and so I feel a certain pull back in this direction, despite having no placement experience within it. I know there are many of you out there at this same stage and I wonder how everyone is feeling? Does anyone else find themselves with this quandary? Are there some experienced OTs out there who can share their experiences of the leap into committing to an area of OT or of changing area of practice after a period of experience? If anyone has wise words for preparing for interviews for those of us about to embark on this wonderful career, then please share them with the community. Regardless of where I do end up, I think I will love what I am doing simply because I love OT, it’s aims, purpose and impact. In the words of Confucius “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.26290
- OT in Early Childhood at refugees campsIn Role-emerging Practice·29 September 2021Hello everyone! I´m working in my degree thesis "OT in Early Childhood at refugees camps: Bibliographic review". I´m from Argentina, and I found out that there´s not so much bibligraphy in spanish, so I´m doing a review also in english and portuguese. I was wondering if some of you have personal articles, reviews, thesis, systematization of experiences or have links to access studies and docuements related to this field that want to share with me. When I finish my thesis I can share it with the community. Thank you!26169
- Working in AustraliaIn Culture + Working Abroad·16 August 2019Hey guys, I'm a Occupational Therapist currently based in the UK, but considering moving to Australia. I would like to experience working in a different health care system and now feels like a good time in the life to look at traveling. I have started to look into the visa process, job market and transferring my profession qualification, however the further I go, the more confused I get. I understand that I will need visa, but cannot figure out what steps I need to take to get my qualification acknowledge and at what stage I need to applying for Visas and jobs. If any one can shed any light on what step I need to be taking and the order in which to do them, this it would be most appreciated.26201
- Dupuytren's contracture: Advice and a good hand specialist OT wanted!In Conditions + Specialisms·18 January 2019Hello all! I have been contacted by a connection of mine, who is looking for advice: UPDATED 12/07/19: The individual who reached out to me mistakenly said he had carpel tunnel syndrome when in fact it was Dupuytren's contracture. 'Please can you help! My dad, age 73, had an operation on his (dominant) right hand in January 2019, with a further operation in April. The wound has now "over granulated" and hence is not healing enough for more aggressive therapy. The issue is that he is unable to mobilise two fingers in his hand. The hand is becoming more stuck and stiff, due to lack of use. He is using a night splint, but unable to mobilise the hand at all currently. My dad wonders whether this is a trapped nerve, or whether the operation has resulted in long lasting damage. He does not want to have more operations, as you can imagine. He is seeing a physio and OT, but we wonder also whether a private hand therapist may also be of use? What sort of treatment is available for this particular problem? Any aids and adaptations that could help? He is a fit and healthy man - gardener, squash player, etc. He can't eat, read, or do anything ADL wise. He is walking every day for his health, but is very fed up following the operation. Any advice at all would be most welcome.26577
- Ot student penpalIn Student Spaces·7 October 2021Hi!! My name is Laura and I am a occupational therapy student in Ireland . I am looking for a penpal to connect with for a module in my ot course ❤️ Hope someone can help me ! Thank you3397
- Diversifying our profession - #BlacklivesmatterIn Other Topics13 June 2020Thanks for getting this really important discussion going @Kristina! Some have challenged me when I've promoted this cause, asking why we're not addressing the injustices faced by other 'minority' groups (N.B. I'm mindful that black people are not a minority globally). Clearly there's plenty more to do to balance the inequalities of our world. But I agree with those who feel now is an important a time as ever to try and unpick the decades of racism faced by the black community. To answer your questions: 1. I'm in the UK; trained in Bristol (south western city, quite multicultural) 2. I work with one non-white occupational therapist (see point 3) 3. I currently work with one black occupational therapist 4. There were 2 students of colour (non-white) in my university cohort, none of them were from the black community 5. All my teachers/guest speakers at university were white 6. In my OT degree, I encountered no black teachers or guests speakers 7. In my OT degree, I did learn about the lived experience of different cultures. We did occasionally discuss how we could adjust practice to be more accessible/supportive, but I feel this could have got much more airtime than it did. I've had some great discussions with my OT colleagues recently on how we could better support patients from diverse cultures and communities. I also recently came across a great (new) YouTuber, @Shoneia Jones, whom the Hub has shared content from in its Therapy Videos portal. Here's one of her most recent videos, on occupational injustice: Occupational Injustice & It's Impact on the Black Community | SHOtheOT I'm keen to follow this forum and hope more light is shed, from around the world! Jamie33
- Feedback (your Hub needs you!)In Hub Development + Feedback·20 August 2022The Occupational Therapy Hub constantly seeks to better the support we give, the resources you access and the experiences you have here. We cannot do this without knowing: what Members like what could be improved what you feel is missing In this forum, we strongly encourage your constructive criticism or positive feedback, however brief. Your Hub Team will read every comment and suggestion, working to improve the global occupational therapy community, for all. Thank you.33103
- OT practitioners working in Domestic Abuse - making connections?In Role-emerging Practice23 January 2022Hello I'm an OT that currently works as a care coordinator...but I did my final year research project on dv and the role of OT. I used a lot of resources from America....33
- OT's in gender dysphoriaIn Assessment + Evaluation·12 July 2021Are there other OTs working in the field of gender dysphoria? I am currently working in a gender identity service in the south west and would like to find out if anyone is using certain outcome measures for use of OT in this area. I think this could be helpful in demonstrating that there is a need for an OT role in all gender identity clinics33530
- Stair lift risk assessmentIn Assessment + Evaluation·24 October 2021Hi Here in Glasgow, Scotland, we are reviewing our stairlift practice and guidelines. We currently have a checklist we use to ensure we have considered all areas of risk in use of the stairlift and added any mitigations. However I would be keen to see if anyone has a specific risk assessment tool for prescription of stairlifts, in particular where there might be concerns for use of the lift alongside manual handling equipment for assisting transfers. Also, I wondered if anyone could advise of any incidents they may be aware of when using manual handling equipment when transferring to and from a stairlift? Many thanks, really appreciate your time Kind regards Kirsty331137
- Purchase of assessment toolsIn Service Development·24 January 2019New community OT - I need help! I really would love some advice or tips in setting up the OT role within a community care practice. I am the first piece of the allied health team with a view to expand in the near future. Caseload is predominately aged living at home, post hospital discharge, short term rehab, home mods, assistive tech and equipment to assist clients in staying at home longer. My question is, what assessments are you using any why? At this point I am thinking I will need Environmental Ax, Cog Ax, Falls risk Ax, functional Ax and possibly FIM and/or MBI. I am new to this setting and would love some advice/feedback on set up!- Thank you :)18228
- Setting up new multidisciplinary teamIn Assessment + Evaluation·20 July 2020Hello all, I have been recruited into a six-month secondment assertive outreach style role in which I will work with people who have dual diagnosis, repeated mental health admissions, homelessness and contact with the criminal justice/probation services with their ADLs. I'll be the sole OT and am looking for ideas with how to assess and evaluate my input. I was thinking of the OPHI or OCAIRS for initial assessment? I've not worked in mental health for a couple of years so would welcome some of your insight.18131
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