I STRONGLY believe in the power of Occupational therapy. I See the need and the results for enhanced self performance in just about every referral even if it is for 1-2 visits. I know and see the factual difference with other allied health and have no "sleep-depriving" fears about "others' taking over. Our profession has a lot to offer to clients and our knowledge in the 5 domains is the perfect tool to get started and facilitate restoration, compensation and/or adaptations. As we humans evolve, so our interactions with the environment and our occupational landscape . I see us OT's, right there evolving along...
Good day everyone, Carmen ----- Original Message ----- From: michael butterfield<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 8:06 PM Subject: Re: [OTlist] Occupation Great posts Carmen and Ron, I also have been wondering for a while when an occupation based approach is needed. Is it only needed when an exercise/medical model approach cant "cure the impairments ?" (ex: complete spinal cord injury or head inury with chronic memory loss..) Is an occupation based approach needed when a patient is not interested in exercise/medical model approach? (very rare in my practice!)? Part of my job is covering the swing unit in a critical care hospital and I get a lot of hip fx's, TKR, genral deconditioning...in most cases once the impairments/compenents are improved pt's are quite happey with thier level of independence. When given the choice of brushing thier teeth standing at the sink perfoming resistive standing exercises in paraleel bares in most cases pt choose the exercises. If i had a dollar for every time a patient gave me a goal of "walking by my self" I could pay of my car loan! Again in my experience at the orthopedic/geriatric popualtion pt's want thier treatment at the impariment compenent level. On the flip side another part of my job that I have somewhat success with Occupation based approach is with my pediatric/school based kids. for ex: third grader with high level CP. failed at home/school learing how to tie shoe laces he was . I helped him spray paint a pair of payless sneakers bright gold, one lace got applied glitter glue and worked on reverse chaining with "magic shoes"..you peds OT know the rest of the story after 3 weeks he was successful. To make a long rant short, about 75 percent of my job I am not using an occupation based approach but my patients still percieve success and indepedence in their routine. Am I practicing like a AOTA OT...No...does this bother me...sometimes..am I worried about the my future in OT sometimes. Mike Butterfield Ron Carson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote: Yes, we see a dentist because of the toothache, not so we can eat corn on the cob! We call the electrician because we have an electrical short, not so we can watch TV. We take our care to a mechanic because it's broken, not so we can drive to a movie. We call an OT because because we can't wash our feet.... Now, who thinks of OT like that?? NO ONE, well almost no one! About the only time that I hear mention of OT (keep in mind that I work in an outpatient private practice setting) is for fine motor, UE, and cognition. Once, I had a referral from a chiropractor to do a home safety assessment for his Dad, also a chiropractor. But by far, OT is normally referred to for anything OTHER than occupation. And that's a problem! In my opinion, we MUST: 1. Change our message 2. Change our delivery 3. Or a combination of the two ----- Original Message ----- From: Carmen Aguirre Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Subj: [OTlist] Occupation CA> Ron... CA> When we get sick, have a tooth ache, bleeding, etc we seek a CA> doctor to stop/cure/remediate the cause in order to restore "normal" CA> life (occupation). Why would it be different for patients who need CA> our services...I truly don't see the dis-articulation. Help? CA> Carmen CA> ----- Original Message ----- CA> From: Ron Carson CA> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> CA> Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 11:17 AM CA> Subject: Re: [OTlist] Occupation CA> Yes, I agree 100% with your statement. BUT most patients that I see are CA> not at the point of compensation. And besides, I don't think that CA> compensation is really a big part of medicine. I just can't see me going CA> to a doctor and saying; CA> " If you have any patients who can't use their arms, hands, legs, CA> etc. then send them to me so I can teach them how to compensate" CA> Maybe this SHOULD be the role of OT but it is one role that in my CA> opinion is not highly promoted, practiced or warranted for many of our CA> patients. CA> Ron CA> ----- Original Message ----- CA> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> CA> > CA> Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 CA> To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> CA> > CA> Subj: [OTlist] Occupation CA> Enrc> Ok - I understand what you're saying, but let's just say that it was CA> Enrc> not possible that this person receive a lens replacement and everything CA> Enrc> did not get better and the problem could not be fixed. In this case, CA> Enrc> occupation and compensation WOULD come to the forefront, no? CA> Enrc> ----- Original Message ----- CA> Enrc> From: Ron Carson CA> > CA> Enrc> Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 7:34 am CA> Enrc> Subject: [OTlist] Occupation CA> Enrc> To: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> CA> >> Hello All: CA> >> CA> >> Recently Biraj pointed out that I: CA> >> CA> >> > always championed and advocated, very strongly I might CA> >> add,> occupation-based practice but now it seems [I am] CA> >> extremely> disappointed of anything the term has to do with in the CA> >> OT profession. CA> >> CA> >> Biraj is correct about my past vocalizations but today I don't CA> >> feel that CA> >> I am disappointed about occupation. I still feel the same CA> >> aboutoccupation but I think that I am becoming a bit jaded CA> >> at trying to CA> >> integrate occupation into my private practice. You see, CA> >> occupation is CA> >> important, it's important to ALL of us, but what I am CA> >> discovering is CA> >> that treating occupational deficits does not fit well with my CA> >> clientsbecause clients don't consider occupational deficits to be CA> >> the problem. CA> >> Here's a non-OT story to make my point. CA> >> CA> >> Recently, someone I know was diagnosed with cataracts. The CA> >> cataractsaffected his vision to the point that modifications were CA> >> needed to read, CA> >> work and play. Now, what do you think this person saw as the CA> >> problem;cataracts or occupations. Obviously, the impact on his CA> >> occupation is CA> >> what brought the cataracts to the forefront and motivated him to CA> >> seek a CA> >> lens replacement, but cataracts are the problem, not the CA> >> loss of CA> >> occupation. So, the person received a lens replacement and CA> >> everything is CA> >> getting better. Well, how does this 'story' apply to OT. CA> >> CA> >> Simple, our clients are seeking answers to problems. They want CA> >> theseproblems fixed. But the problems are not occupation, the CA> >> problems are CA> >> things like weakness, loss of balance, developmental delay, CA> >> depression,etc. Clients see these 'components' as the problem and CA> >> this is what they CA> >> expect their therapist to address. This is the way the entire CA> >> world of CA> >> medicine works and for OT to be any different just doesn't work. CA> >> CA> >> What I think needs to be done is for our patients to recognize CA> >> loss of CA> >> occupation as the primary problem. Then, they recognize the need CA> >> for an CA> >> occupational therapist. And as far as I can tell, the ONLY way CA> >> that this CA> >> is going to happen on a large scale is for AOTA to put CA> >> together a CA> >> NATIONAL ad campaign directed at educating people about CA> >> occupation and CA> >> thus occupational therapy. CA> >> CA> >> Finally, there are settings were occupation is the concern but CA> >> about the CA> >> only one that I know of is long-term mental health. And CA> >> given that CA> >> therapeutic occupation is rooted in mental health, this makes CA> >> perfectsense. But for the majority of OT's working in the US, CA> >> I think that CA> >> trying to integrate occupation as our main form and outcome is CA> >> a lost CA> >> battle, unless patients are EDUCATED, INTEGRATE and CA> >> EXPERIENCEoccupation-based therapy. CA> >> CA> >> Ron CA> >> CA> >> CA> >> CA> >> CA> >> -- CA> >> Unsubscribe? CA> >> CA> [EMAIL PROTECTED]<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> CA> >> CA> >> Change options? CA> >> CA> www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com<http://www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com> CA> >> CA> >> Archive? CA> >> CA> www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]<http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> CA> >> CA> >> Help? 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