Brianne Kelly
A00179233
Occupational therapy is not just a health profession, it is much more than that. Occupational therapy helps patients gain independence and confidence that allows them to participate in everyday life activities. Certain characteristics of an occupational therapist must include being caring, patient, precise, personable, creative, observant and a good problem solver. These are simply a few of the many qualities which make up a good Occupational Therapist. Each unique setting I observed left me with vastly different personal impressions regarding the profession of occupational therapy.
Access was first setting and focused on physical disabilities. The main aspect of this particular setting was specifically hands. At first, I thought that working with only hands seemed boring, but then saw all of the many tools and gadgets that could be used for treatment and became more curious. The Occupational Therapist would create unique activities for each patient to perform based on each individual's needs. These needs ranged from carpal tunnel syndrome to triangular fibrocartilage tear to open reduction internal fixation. The main techniques used for hand exercises here were paraffin, hand massages, putty and light weights. Each patient had their own specific treatment to provide the best possible outcome to heal them based on their needs. For example, one specific interaction the Occupational Therapist, Brynn, had with a patient that caught my attention was with a high school aged girl with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Brynn had her patient use paraffin to relax her hand, which is an interesting concept to help ease some pain. Before Brynn began working on helping her patient, she thoroughly explained what she was going to do before jumping in. I felt this was a great thing to do. Brynn also explained that her patient would need a wrist brace, but Brynn understood her patient was a high school student and knew she would not want to wear it in front of her classmates so Brynn accomodated this patient's lifestyle. This stood out to me because it is important to be understanding in order to make sure the patient was comfortable. The second setting I observed was Inspire. …show more content…
This was an entirely different style of occupational therapy due to the fact that they were working with pediatrics. The Occupational Therapist here named Susan was more interactive and involved than Brynn, which was more of a laid back setting. I noticed that working with pediatrics did not seem like strictly exercises and routines, but like games. The children receiving occupational therapy were unaware they were doing work to improve their motor skills and thought they were playing games with Susan. The idea of playing instead of working on the children's skills intrigued me because watching the children have fun and knowing they are learning life skills and tasks while they are smiling and laughing is a heartwarming sight. One four year old boy made an impression on me because he was quiet and shy, but very intelligent. He needed to focus on arm strength and fine motor skills. Activities that Susan set up for him consisted of laying on his stomach and pushing himself on a scooter while grabbing puzzle pieces to solve a puzzle, cutting different lines out of paper and finding and finding beads to pick out of putty. Each child had their own areas that needed to be worked on and watching Susan with the children and how she made it appear so fun for the children made me realize that this profession truly focuses on helping every individual while being an enjoyable experience. The third and final setting took place at Glen Arden. The needs of geriatrics differs from the needs of adults with physical disabilities and pediatrics. Amy, the Occupational Therapist, focuses on the everyday activities such as helping the patients get out of bed in the morning to getting ready for bed. Amy had me watch her help a ninety seven year old woman getting ready. Amy helped her patient pick out clothes, get dressed, brush her teeth and brush her hair. Watching this process of getting ready in the morning made me realize how many things the average person takes for granted. The look of accomplishment on the ninety seven year old lady's face from simply being
A00179233
Occupational therapy is not just a health profession, it is much more than that. Occupational therapy helps patients gain independence and confidence that allows them to participate in everyday life activities. Certain characteristics of an occupational therapist must include being caring, patient, precise, personable, creative, observant and a good problem solver. These are simply a few of the many qualities which make up a good Occupational Therapist. Each unique setting I observed left me with vastly different personal impressions regarding the profession of occupational therapy.
Access was first setting and focused on physical disabilities. The main aspect of this particular setting was specifically hands. At first, I thought that working with only hands seemed boring, but then saw all of the many tools and gadgets that could be used for treatment and became more curious. The Occupational Therapist would create unique activities for each patient to perform based on each individual's needs. These needs ranged from carpal tunnel syndrome to triangular fibrocartilage tear to open reduction internal fixation. The main techniques used for hand exercises here were paraffin, hand massages, putty and light weights. Each patient had their own specific treatment to provide the best possible outcome to heal them based on their needs. For example, one specific interaction the Occupational Therapist, Brynn, had with a patient that caught my attention was with a high school aged girl with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Brynn had her patient use paraffin to relax her hand, which is an interesting concept to help ease some pain. Before Brynn began working on helping her patient, she thoroughly explained what she was going to do before jumping in. I felt this was a great thing to do. Brynn also explained that her patient would need a wrist brace, but Brynn understood her patient was a high school student and knew she would not want to wear it in front of her classmates so Brynn accomodated this patient's lifestyle. This stood out to me because it is important to be understanding in order to make sure the patient was comfortable. The second setting I observed was Inspire. …show more content…
This was an entirely different style of occupational therapy due to the fact that they were working with pediatrics. The Occupational Therapist here named Susan was more interactive and involved than Brynn, which was more of a laid back setting. I noticed that working with pediatrics did not seem like strictly exercises and routines, but like games. The children receiving occupational therapy were unaware they were doing work to improve their motor skills and thought they were playing games with Susan. The idea of playing instead of working on the children's skills intrigued me because watching the children have fun and knowing they are learning life skills and tasks while they are smiling and laughing is a heartwarming sight. One four year old boy made an impression on me because he was quiet and shy, but very intelligent. He needed to focus on arm strength and fine motor skills. Activities that Susan set up for him consisted of laying on his stomach and pushing himself on a scooter while grabbing puzzle pieces to solve a puzzle, cutting different lines out of paper and finding and finding beads to pick out of putty. Each child had their own areas that needed to be worked on and watching Susan with the children and how she made it appear so fun for the children made me realize that this profession truly focuses on helping every individual while being an enjoyable experience. The third and final setting took place at Glen Arden. The needs of geriatrics differs from the needs of adults with physical disabilities and pediatrics. Amy, the Occupational Therapist, focuses on the everyday activities such as helping the patients get out of bed in the morning to getting ready for bed. Amy had me watch her help a ninety seven year old woman getting ready. Amy helped her patient pick out clothes, get dressed, brush her teeth and brush her hair. Watching this process of getting ready in the morning made me realize how many things the average person takes for granted. The look of accomplishment on the ninety seven year old lady's face from simply being