as the OT world turns…

I'm reading “A Therapist Goes Home After a Stroke” by Rebecca Dutton, a book about an OT who has two strokes, and what she personally learned from rehab/her own dealings with the stroke. She goes into insane amounts of detail on how to do things one-handed. I have to admit I'm not very visual so I tend to skim some of the details, BUT the two things I have so far come across that I think are immediately helpful are:

1) Cane management – a lot of times (okay, constantly) people drop their canes – they need to be able to figure out how to pick them up off the ground safely, and/or find ways to ensure they don't slide, to help increase level of independence, so they don't have to constantly ask someone to collect their cane for them.

2) Holding things under the armpit of the affected side. This is so obvious and yet I've never worked on it with clients. If they are using a cane then their good hand is taken up. While there are options such as a light messenger bag, etc etc (again, within realms of safety), another option is to teach the clients to adduct their affected shld if they have that ability, so they can carry towels, etc and go to another area.

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Lately I've been working on burns, strokes, wrists, shoulders, multiple sclerosis, developmental delay, pediatric traumatic brain injury, etc etc….I know that's not at all person-first or occupation-based the way I phrased it….but I guess I mean the RESEARCH I have been doing lately focuses on those areas. Like I read up on Brunnstrom neurological techniques to find alternative ways to activate extensors of the affected side after stroke….

Blah blah I am delirious. I am packing my head off getting ready for the move to CA. 🙂 And trying to prepare for getting a job in CA, spending time in South America, etc….way too much on my mind, but for now I need to focus on physically packing, as well as preparing all my work stuff so that I don't leave anyone hanging. I only have NINE days of work left!! 5 days in one outpatient satellite clinic, four afternoons in inpatient, several late afternoons in another outpatient, and 3 mornings in vocational rehab. Gotta make sure I get lots of handouts and stuff for my pediatric clients, finish up all the home exercise programs, organize all the files and assessments….