Assessments: When it comes to evaluating patients, no matter what setting you're in, standardized assessments are essential in painting a full picture of your patient's current medical and functional status. Every occupational therapist in every setting should ultimately be using at least one standardized assessment in their therapeutic evaluations. Balance: It’s no secret that good balance... Continue Reading →
Did you know that sleep is listed as an area of occupation? I personally am pretty happy about it; a good nap or a few extra hours during the night make me really happy! When working with the dementia population, sleep hygiene can become completely discombobulated. People often sleep all day and are awake all... Continue Reading →
This one technically could have been used for letter 'U' (oops!) but hey, it works for 'Y' too, right? I'm going to be straight up with this one, and tell you that I think 'therapeutic use of self' is something we like to say and toss around to make us sound all fancy, but how... Continue Reading →
We touched on this a bit earlier this month when we talked about quality vs. quantity. But now that I have had the opportunity to provide care across all nursing shifts, I want to talk a bit more about how to provide excellent care in spite of our circumstances. When you work in healthcare, no... Continue Reading →
We've already talked about how to address posture and positioning as it relates to identifying an appropriate seating system for our patients. So today we're talking about the different types of wheelchairs and walkers, and how to know which ones to use/prescribe to our patients. Let's start with the types of wheelchairs. Disclaimer: there are... Continue Reading →
Just like muscle tone, bone density, and vestibular function, vision diminishes as we age. Personally, I have found this to be especially true within the SNF setting. When I assess for visual deficits, I always ask the patient if he or she has noticed any changes in his/her vision since the onset of the admitting... Continue Reading →
1. Typical Weight-Training Routine: Grab a Wate Bar or some Theraband and get those arms moving! Make sure you're working on all muscle groups by moving each joint in all planes. Check out my Stories on Instagram for a quick video tutorial. 2. Take and {Arm} Bike Ride: The UBE (upper body ergometer) is a... Continue Reading →
Transfer training is a huge part of what we do in the SNF. The use of safe and appropriate body mechanics during all transfers is crucial for maximizing both patient and staff safety. The biggest rule of thumb when it comes to transfer training: use a gait belt. Sometimes people think that grabbing a patient... Continue Reading →
What is Sensory Processing? The ability to interpret the world around us through the use of the 7 Senses: 1. Sight 2. Sound 3. Taste 4. Touch 5. Smell 6. Proprioception (where is my body in relation to other people/objects?) 7. Vestibular Input (where is my head in relation to my center of gravity? These... Continue Reading →
