Journey of non-traditional student in OTA

Monday, January 13, 2014

I have been busy working on a number of items

The Sensory blanket has matching bean bags filled with different materials, rice, beans, popcorn seeds. Besides having different textures of material the weight and fill for each bean bag is different.

I can spread the blanket out and the kiddos can toss the bean bag towards the matching square...sometimes we just use the blanket to be prone for tummy time activities and sometimes we just use the bean bags and pretend they are pigs.

We set the bean bags on top of blocks, empty plastic milk jugs and we stand a large cylinder bolster on its end and puts some pigs (bean bags) on top - this helps with overhand throws to have something that is at shoulder height to aim at. We take a dozen plastic balls from the ball pit and these become or angry birds. Place a hola hoop on the floor 3 to 5 feet away from the display of pigs (bean bags) and the kiddos have fun trying to hit the pigs. Of course when the dozen balls have been thrown they do like to physical rush the display and knock the remaining pigs down with their body...also acceptable.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Passing the NBCOT...

I am a COTA. After two years of school and studying to pass the NBCOT it all comes down to trying to find a job.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Home Sensory Diet for Kids

The following information was provided to me by a COTA in the CESA 4 school districts

Home Activities

· Wall pushups while counting to 10, 15…/reciting alphabet

· Jumping jacks (can spell words, count…while jumping)

· Crab walk

· March from one place to another

· “seat walk” while sitting on the floor with legs extended

· Play doh-squeeze, search for hidden objects such as beads, buttons

· Walk around the room while balancing a small object on head or shoulders. Can use a small stuffed animal, rolled up sock

· Crawl around the room while balancing a small object on shoulder or on back

· Stand in a doorway, place right hand on the right side of the door frame and left hand on the left side of the door frame and push. This can be turned into a game by pushing for each letter of the alphabet, counting to 10…

· Carry laundry basket/box with something inside for weight (not too heavy-less than 5 pounds).

· Push a box (with something in it) with feet while seated on the floor. This can be turned into a game by designating a “finish line” and timing how long it takes from start to finish

· Put weight (books) on a blanket and pull around

· Roll up into a blanket and unroll (“like a taco”)

· Crawl under sofa, chair cushions

· Dig in sandbox

· Rake

· Sweep

· Chew on crunchy foods (as diet permits) such as carrots, celery, apples, nuts…

· Chew on chewy foods (as diet permits) such as raisins, dried fruit…

· Eat foods with strong flavors (as diet permits) pineapple, grapes…

· Drink through straw (as diet permits) milk, juice, water,(especially thick liquids) smoothies, shakes,

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Sensory Tunnel

My second fieldwork rotation is with CESA 4 school districts in Wisconsin and for a project I created a Sensory Tunnel.

Hint (learn from my mistakes) diameter and circumference as not interchangeable words.

20 inch diameter is too big for most children 3 to 10 years old. 18 inch diameter works well.

My tunnel has lycra and swim suit fabric - because....

Either I am cheap - swim suit fabric is cheaper than lycra.

Or I didn't purchase enough the first time and when I went back to the store they didn't have any lycra to match left.

The kiddo's have been having a great time getting proprioceptive, vestibular and tactile input while improving their motor planning, body awareness, and balance.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Morning Cares

Morning Cares....

As a non-traditional (aka old) OTA student on my first FW II rotation - I have found that instead of setting a 8 1/2" x 5" sheet of white paper onto the clients table top stating

Dear ____________
Tomorrow _______ morning __________ from Occupational Therapy will be assessing you for morning cares at _________ A. M. She will help you wash, dress and get ready for the day. If you wake up early, feel free to eat some breakfast.

Thank you

An 8 1/2" x 5" sheet of yellow paper displayed with a photo clip works is easier for residents at the SNF to see and remember. Also by changing the wording those residents with test anxiety seemed to be less intimidated.

Dear ___________________
Tomorrow- ___________ morning__________

from Occupational Therapy will be in your

room at _______ A.M. She will help you

wash, dress and get ready for the day.
If you wake up early, feel free to eat some breakfast.

Thank You

I also added a few simple morning ADL graphics to serve as a visual cues for those with lower cognition.

Non Traditional Student

What is an non-traditional student?

A non-traditional student
could be a 52 year old woman enrolled in an occupational therapy assistant
program.

No, I didn’t lose my job.
I retired. After 30+ years of key strokes, copies and coffee... I was restless
and needed to embark on a new career. I
will always write, but I also wanted to do something that brings me into
contact with people, do a job or perform a service that makes a difference in
someones life.

In May of 2011, I began my
journey with a summer class - Anatomy and Physiology. I learned why there is a jar of peppermint
wrapped candies outside of the cadaver room.

The Fall semester included:
Written Communication, Introduction to Occupational Therapy, Activities and Analysis,
Developmental Psychology and Medical & Psychosocial Conditions.

I learned

Which of the following is a reason why men and
women cite satisfaction with their marriage?

The answer I Selected: they stated that their spouse is their best
friend

And I got the big RED X

According to the test
results the Correct
Answer was:

They state that their spouse has sex with them as
often as they want

And this is why I write
Romance.

Who's at risk for falls in SNF?

Who's at risk for falls in SNF? ABC Confidence Indicator

On FW II rotation I have notice that some patients are worried about falling and I had a couple of clients complete the ABC confidence indicator - but what I noticed was the test did not give me any information on how to increase their confidence.

I was also a little concern because this is a smaller town and some of the questions didn't seem to apply. There is no escalators any around this area nor are they any malls, so I wasn't so sure how well the clients could relate to all the questions. So, I did a little research and discovered there was also a shorten test and I was excited until I read the questions... again 2 of the 6 questions were about escalators.

ABC Confidence indicator 16 questions.

The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale*

For each of the following activities, please indicate your level of self- confidence by choosing a corresponding number from the following rating scale:

0% 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% no confidence completely confident

“How confident are you that you will not lose your balance or become unsteady when you...

...walk around the house? ____%
...walk up or down stairs? ____%
...bend over and pick up a slipper from the front of a closet floor
____%
...reach for a small can off a shelf at eye level? ____%
...stand on your tiptoes and reach for something above your head?
____%
...stand on a chair and reach for something? ____%
...sweep the floor? ____%
...walk outside the house to a car parked in the driveway? ____%
...get into or out of a car? ____%
...walk across a parking lot to the mall? ____%
...walk up or down a ramp? ____%
...walk in a crowded mall where people rapidly walk past you?
____%
...are bumped into by people as you walk through the mall?____%
... step onto or off an escalator while you are holding onto a railing?
____%
... step onto or off an escalator while holding onto parcels such that
you cannot hold onto the railing? ____%
...walk outside on icy sidewalks? ____%

*Powell, LE & Myers AM. The Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale. J Gerontol Med Sci 1995; 50(1): M28-34

There is also ...

The Short Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC-6) Scale

For each of the following activities, please indicate your level of self-confidence by choosing a corresponding number from the following rating scale:

0% 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100% no confidence completely confident

“How confident are you that you will not lose your balance or become unsteady when you...

...stand on your tiptoes and reach for something above your head? ____%
...stand on a chair and reach for something? ____%
...are bumped into by people as you walk through the
mall?____%
... step onto or off an escalator while you are holding onto a
railing? ____%
... step onto or off an escalator while holding onto parcels
such that you cannot hold onto the railing? ____%
...walk outside on icy sidewalks? ____%

* Peretz, C., Herman, T., Hausdorff, J.M., Giladi, N., 2006. Assessing fear of falling: can a short version of the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale be useful? Mov. Disord. 21, 2101–2105.

5. Conclusion

These results not only indicate that the ABC-6 is a valid and reliable measure of balance confidence in community-dwelling older adults, but also that the short scale shows stronger relationships to falls than does the ABC-16. The ABC-6 may be a more useful balance confidence assessment tool than the ABC-16 in busy clinical or research settings, where timely, valid, and reliable assessments of balance confidence and screenings for balance impairments and falls risk assessment measures are necessary.

Retrieved from website:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2883646/ on February 6, 2013.