Student Blog

Take a day . . . ⟩
September 27, 2012, by Ricky

Life Hacks School/Life Balance What are OS/OT?

So I was faced with a dilemma yesterday. I woke up feeling under the weather — it seems the cold I had been fending off had started to get the best of me. It was my second day of fieldwork, though; still in the trying-to-make-a-good-impression-phase. What was I to do? I wasn’t full on sick, but my body was pretty beat. I got all did-up and was about to walk out the door, but then I did something that was out of character for me: I went back to bed. After going back-and-forth in my mind, I decided to take a sick day. I reasoned that it was in all parties’ interest if I just stayed away. I think what really did it, though, was how bad I’d feel if I were to get one of the little kids at my clinic sick (even though they might be the ones who introduced the bug to me). I mean, how messed up would it be if I was working really hard in session to help these little guys enjoy more independent and meaningful lives, and then go and give them a cold. Anyhow, I took sick day, and it was GREAT!

Usually, when I take a sick day, I feel like a bum for not going to work and I try to make up for it by running a bunch of errands and/or trying to catch up on school work. I don’t really rest. However, yesterday was different. I thought to myself, “enough!” I told myself that this was the real deal, and that I would treat this as if I was at a resort for nothing more than relaxation and “me-time.” I slept until my body said no more. I meditated. I did yoga (yes, guys do yoga). I limited TV-intake to just 2 Friends episodes for a lil comic relief. I ate right to support my immune system (except for those 2 Chips A’hoy that snuck by). And I still managed to get some errands and school work done, and go to bed at a decent time. Come to think of it, it may have well been the most productive sick day ever — and it was possible because I told myself not to worry, and I put myself and my health needs first. I think it’s like hitting the gym at the end of a long day — you really don’t want to, but end up going and feel better and more alert for doing so. I guess that’s how it goes with all things. You gotta pay attention to what your body’s asking for and maintain a healthy balance.

If any of you feel like your life is hopelessly out of balance, you may want to enlist the help of an OT and fill out an Occupational Questionnaire or Balance Wheel. A neat thing I’ve learned recently in my OT 504 course (Health Promotion and Wellness) is that balance will look different for each of us. What does your occupational day-to-day look like? Do you need to take a day?

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Cognitive Disabilities Model ⟩
September 27, 2012, by Alisa

Classes

This week in class was very interesting. I learned about the cognitive disabilities model, and the guest speaker was Catherine Earhart, one of the developers of the Allen Diagnostic Module. As part of the assessment, clients get to make a greeting card! The assessment allows us to quantify the data using the Allen scale of levels and modes, which provide a specific activity analysis identifying the cognitive and motor requirements of meaningful activities that clients desire to do. This can give us a baseline of where and how you want to treat the clients next. It is important to know that there might be various factors that affect clients’ performance; therefore, the assessment data has to be collected throughout time before a pattern can be detected. Another assessment, Allen Cognitive Level Screen-5 (ACLS-5), clients perform three visual-motor tasks of leather lacing stitches with increasing difficulty. I did not have difficulty with the running stitch or the whipstitch, but I had great difficulty with the single cordovan stitch. Overall, it is an interesting assessment used can be used in mental health settings and other settings, too!

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First Day of Fieldwork ⟩
September 24, 2012, by Amber

Fieldwork What are OS/OT?

Last week I began my level one fieldwork experience at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center. Each semester, our courses are focused on a particular practice area of occupational therapy: adult physical rehabilitation, pediatrics, or mental health. To compliment this coursework, we have the opportunity to spend one day per week at a fieldwork site in that practice area. This semester I am in the adult physical rehabilitation immersion, and was lucky enough to be placed at the top rehabilitation hospital in the Western United States. Rancho Los Amigos is situated on a beautiful campus in Downey, and has a long history. In 1888, it was known as the Los Angeles County “Poor Farm.” In the 1950s, it was a respiratory center for polio patients. Today, the hospital helps patients with disabilities regain skills and learn techniques to accomplish basic activities of daily living, and return to work or school if possible.

I was placed in an outpatient unit that specializes in treating people who have sustained spinal cord injuries. My role was to observe an occupational therapist, and potentially do some hands-on interaction with the patients. The first patient of the day was a middle-aged man who had been injured in a fall at work. He used a wheelchair and had extreme weakness in his upper body. It was his third visit with the occupational therapist, and we worked on activities to strengthen his upper extremities. He really pushed himself, and it was wonderful to see the slow progress he was making. Later that day, I got to observe and use the driving rehabilitation equipment, and spend the afternoon in the stroke rehabilitation unit. I am very excited to continue my fieldwork and learning experience at Rancho Los Amigos.

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Yoga: My Personal Medicine ⟩
September 22, 2012, by Alisa

Life Hacks

In my readings in my Mental Health class this week, I’ve read about personal medicine versus medications. Deegan defined personal medicine as “the activity that gives life meaning and purpose.” I remember a time when I cramps, and the pain affected my ability to function. My first instinct was to take Advil for pain relief, but ever since I have been doing yoga, which I considered to be my personal medicine, I don’t rely as much on taking pills. There are certain poses I could take such as child’s pose and my all-time favorite corpse pose that have restorative benefits. I could see how engaging in yoga benefits me and helps me to be more mindful and calmer. I learn to pay attention to my breath because it puts me in the here and now. Also, I just purchased the USC Workout Group Exercise and attended a yoga class. I look forward to doing that on Tuesdays! I’m going to try to do some more yoga throughout the week as well. I find it as a great stress reliever.

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First day at Fieldwork ⟩
September 21, 2012, by Alisa

Fieldwork

This week I started my level I fieldwork in mental health. I am placed at Project 180, a forensic treatment agency, in downtown Los Angeles. Clients have a mental illness as well as a substance abuse issue. Programs include the re-entry program, where clients join Project 180 after serving their time in jail or the diversion program, where clients join Project 180 instead of going to jail. The 12-18 month programs are structured in phases, culminating with a graduation ceremony at the end. There have been instances where Project 180 staffs have worked directly with clients in jail. I was able to observe three group sessions: mental health, job skills, and thinking errors. It was eye-opening to be able to hear a lot of members share their stories openly. To actually be able to hear someone who has had first-hand experiences of what it’s like living with a mental illness was a very humbling experience. It made me realize to be thankful for what I have in my life and the support system and to have an attitude of gratitude wherever I go. I appreciate how committed the staffs at Project 180 are to their clients and to each other. I look forward to more group sessions with the clients and individual sessions, too. I learn a lot from just listening to them. So far, it’s been a wonderful experience, and I’ve also made a canine companion at fieldwork, too! Meet Indiana Jones.

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