The key insights revealed in this post especially resonated with me: I firmly believe that occupational therapists must cultivate both physical and mental well-being in our clients and in ourselves. In particular, your comment about our need to "lead by example" reminded me of how imperative it is for occupational therapist to maintain our own mindfulness practice, if we endeavour to introduce mindfulness to any of our clients. Upon reflection, not only do I believe that mindfulness can afford our clients a necessary reprieve from the stress of mental and physical illness, it can also guide us into tapping into our own intuition and creativity as professionals. In this way, we can provide holistic care that marries both the art and science
Occupational therapy is a profession that is currently growing faster than anyone would have expected. Because of the increase in demands for occupational therapy services, therapists are having larger caseloads, needing the help of more occupational therapists. Occupational therapy in the mental health setting is one environment that has grown in popularity over the last decade. Knowing the benefits of occupational therapy in this setting, and the expansion of clients needing occupational therapy services, more funding needs to be established in this setting.
Three steps in the occupational therapy process for A. K and her family are evaluation, intervention, and outcomes. Occupational therapy is client-centered so therefore the therapist should pick activities related to the client interest. The evaluation includes viewing A.K. occupational profile that includes an occupational history. The occupational therapy history includes A.K. age and gender, experiences, her daily living patterns, interest, values as well as her needs (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014). The occupational therapist should interview the parents of why they are seeking out occupational therapy services for their child. An analysis of occupational performance establishment is during the evaluation process (Sames,
My roles of occupation in my life are being a student, daughter, sister, and an employee. As this moment, my main role is being student in occupational therapy program. I attend to every single classes with a main purpose that I will receive the knowledge that I need to know in order to get my degree in Occupational Therapy Assistance.
Theory is defined as a description of a set of phenomena and the relationships among the concepts. A frame of reference are theories that are used as the foundation for developing guidelines for practice that assist therapist with clinical reasoning related to the evaluation and treatment of a specific problems (Mosey.1996). The model practice provides a framework with which the therapist is able to make clinical decisions based on a scientific theoretical foundation such as anatomy and physiology an example is the biomechanical guideline that based on anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. Guidelines for practice are not diagnosis specific, but rather are address problems that people with a variety of diagnoses may experience.
Occupational Therapy has played a role in helping those with Mental and physical disabilities in the United States since 1917. Before that time, Occupational Therapy was used solely in mental institutions to help people that were "more normal" and able to function in a social status. These patients enjoyed things like arts and crafts. It seemed that those who engaged in such activities where perceived as "more healthy". These findings lead Drs. to encourage patients to engage is such activity to improve there overall health. (http://quoccupationaltherapy.weebly.com/history-of-occupational-therapy.htmlhistory-of-occupational-therapy.html)
I have always been energized by helping and connecting with people. Growing up, I wanted to be at the counter helping when my mom baked, I followed my dad around the driveway helping him perfectly polish the car tires, I was president of the club that gave tours and support to new students in high school, and in college I worked as a Botany lab tutor using varied teaching techniques to help students understand class concepts. When I started planning my career, I knew it would need to involve forming helping relationships combined with my enthusiasm for teaching. This led me logically to serving in the Peace Corps followed by completing two years in AmeriCorps.
Originally, I first learned about OT through a class at the group home agency I had worked for as a direct support professional. The occupational therapist explained the benefits of sensory interventions, and the importance of leisure and social participation when working with individuals with intellectual disabilities. Since this experience had caused me to switch from special education to occupational therapy, a part of me will always be invested in supporting people with ID.
Occupational therapy has been in the process of continued development since the 1900’s. With several contributors helping to build the groundwork for creating the awareness needed to bring occupational therapy into the field of health care. Continued research is contributing to the ongoing significance of how occupational therapy is a vital aspect in promoting increased independences in all aspects of healthcare. (Willard, Schell, 2014) With the incorporation of “Occupational Therapy Practice Framework Domain and Process (3rd ed.)” helps creates the foundation for occupational therapy clinicians as well as other health care providers in facilitating the core believe of occupational and the relationship of health and occupation. (AOTA 2014) Therefore, providing a uniform outline of the various aspects of each individual and how they are interconnected to create the foundation of each individual. With a greater understanding of the foundations of that induvial, the clinician can then facilitate the best therapeutic treatment plan for that individual to achieve their personal goals with unified foundations of care.
A father appearing to be in his mid-forties plays basketball at a basketball court Speno Park in East Meadow, New York, with his daughter, who appeared to be seven years old. The daughter displayed two basketballs and practiced dribbling with both hands using both balls while her father supervised her. The daughter then passes one ball to her father, practicing bouncing the ball while passing it to him. They were playing and passing balls to each other. The father coaches daughter on techniques to effectively to bounce the basketballs and dribble. After the father coached his daughter, both people left the basketball to take a two minute water break in the benches under the shade from the trees. After the break, the daughter practiced aiming and shooting one basketball into the hoops and made shot three hoops.
I have personally witnessed the established, unprecedented and warmhearted culture, of Winston Salem State Universities Occupational Therapy program. I visited this program over the summer and experienced the mission state of the university and the occupational therapy program firsthand. I am genuinely a good fit for this program because my reason for becoming an occupational therapist is to offer patients to maintain and retrieve their quality of life. It is of supreme importance to me that every patient, no matter his or her race, background, or gender receives personal, professional, and effective treatment. The patient rehabilitation process reminds me of the universities history and foundation. Starting out as a one-room structure, the
Dementia is a mental health disorder commonly addressed with in the geriatric population. Dementia involves a cognitive decline of the brain. This is a disease of a broader spectrum and can be broken down into other subgroups or diseases such as: Alzheimer’s, vascular, frontal-temporal and dementia with Lewy bodies. As dementia gets progressively worse the more challenges the individual faces. Simple daily occupations such as dressing, feeding, even rest and sleep are difficult task to complete. As occupational therapist it is important to address mental health issues and injustices towards occupations. Dementia is a global health concern as it affects the community or social integration as the disease onsets. This cognitive disorder is usually a concern of inpatient skilled nursing facilities in the latter stages. Therapist must address our role in this
Everyone has helped someone at least once in their life, but occupational therapist help people everyday. Occupational therapists are the ones to call when someone need help doing daily activities. For the longest time I knew that I liked helping people. I like watching the joyful reaction of people when they learn something new. After researching more about the work environment, the education needed, and the salary, I can see that his career is a good possibility for me.
In accordance with Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF), “the efforts directed toward promoting occupational justice and empowering clients to seek and obtain resources to fully participate in their daily life occupations.” (Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, 3rd Ed., p. S41). I consider occupational therapy to be a compassionate career, practitioners try to grant their clients’ wants and needs to better suit the
An occupational therapist is a trained and licensed health care professional who can make a complete evaluation of the impact of disease on the activities of the patient at home and in work situations. Hobbies and recreational activities are considered when an assessment is made. The most generally accepted definition of occupational therapy is that it is an activity, physical or mental, that aids in a patient’s recovery from disease or injury.
When I first considered occupational therapy, I was a sophomore in college sitting in my advisors office upset because I had no clue what I was doing with my life. I knew I wanted to be part of the medical field but couldn’t narrow it down any further. I had signed up for classes required for medical school, thinking those would cover my bases as I figured out what I actually wanted to do. My advisor and I were discussing my passion for helping people find ways to improve their lives and be independent. She kept encouraging me to look into occupational therapy because she thought it would be perfect for me.