Welcome!
Healthcare can be impersonal. One of the reasons I became an occupational therapist was to help people. It is in my soul. It was my own grandpa, a special man we called "Gramps," that actually introduced me to this amazing career through his own challenging journey.
Gramp's Accidental Inspiration
After my grandma passed away, Gramps was having more and more difficulty taking care of himself at his own home and living 2 1/2 hours away, it was difficult for my parents to help him out as they had 4 young kids of their own. He could get dressed, meet up with his friends for coffee and get around the house, but it was the little things that he started having problems with - cooking meals, bathing, paying his bills and taking care of the ice out the front door caused by the harsh Minnesota winters.
After lots of convincing, he decided to move to my family's hobby farm in North Dakota WITH the agreement that he had his own space. My parents were on a mission to find something perfect for him and they found it! A little trailer home that they moved onto their 10 acre hobby farm. We cleaned it, fixed it and decorated the bathroom fire engine red - his favorite color.
It was his space. His home. HIS.
He enjoyed his independence and never wanted to impose - he actually only came to my mom and dad's house for dinner each night. He was a man that devoured Louis L'amour westerns, loved playing the harmonica, watching Lawrence Welk, joking around and eating asparagus. He loved his family and we loved him.
After living on my family's property for a while, Gramps ended up having a massive stroke and he had move into a skilled nursing home.
His body changed. His personality had changed. He changed.
He was flaccid on his left side and being a big man, it was physically impossible for my parents to take care of him. His independence was taken away and his life had changed in a flash!
I watched him go through rehabilitation with little success physically, but I saw the successes, determination and independence that other people at the nursing home where experiencing and it ignited a fire!
I truly believe that an occupational therapist has a unique perspective in the realm of healthcare. We partner medicine, science, and practical solutions to life's problems by focusing on you, the person - not just the diagnosis. There are websites that focus on the diagnoses of seniors and their caregivers; there are websites that focus on the mental health and stresses of seniors and their caregivers. Senior Flourish's goal is to join the two by giving you practical healthcare advice, recommendations, education and resources that you can use today.
Over the years of my professional career, I have had the privilege to be able to serve and help so many people and their families lead more meaningful lives and I will continue to do this through Seniors Flourish.
I want to help people live life to their fullest and be as independent as possible.
I want to help people live where they want to be - in their homes.
I want to connect with YOU.
I want to help people FLOURISH!
I Appreciate You
Finishing up, I want you to know that I am grateful that I can help you on this journey.
I do my best to answer questions and emails regularly. I love being an occupational therapist and I hope it shows.
I'd love for you to check out my Facebook Page and look forward to meeting you!
I hope Seniors Flourish can make you feel empowered, informed and connected to someone in the healthcare field that keeps the "care" in "healthcare" and does it with professionalism, compassion, creativity and fun!
I am here. Let's do this together!
Comments 16
I’m a COTA in nyc and I found you on instagram via #taelormadeor. Omg just listen to your podcast on Hospice and was having an ahha moment because Prior to listening to you today, I was just thinking hospice and the function of our OT services; because my patients family asked my opinion on it. So grateful for this platform because I been in the field for over 15 years, But started my homecare position for the past 3 yrs, So your more independent and need to keep abreast of everything OT. Keep sharing!! Your OT family in NYC is listening.
Author
Thank you so much for listening Michelle – it really means a lot to have support from fellow OT practitioners like you 🙂 #OTlove I have to agree, home health is great, but it definitely can be isolating and independent = having to make more of an effort to stay on top of the evidence and what is going on in the OT world. I am thankful for podcasts too, for this exact reason
Hi,
My name is Tani and I am an OT in the school system. I started a free ot podcast radio show last year with the goal of trying to help people in audio episodes of ten minutes each with free advice, activities, suggestions, and more especially for children, families, and ot’s.
The show is on all podcast forums including iTunes and is called “O.T. Talk With Mr. T”.
There is a direct link here:
http://Www.anchor.fm/mrt1
I would love to be able to help and reach more people if you guys would be interested in sharing the show!
Thanks,
Tani
Author
thanks for sharing Tani! I love hearing about other OT podcasts 🙂
Hello Mandy
That is a truly inspirational story and cudos to you!!!
You make me want to start something similar here in sunny Australia. I don’t believe there is anything like it here yet!!
I have been working for the last 4 years with the Older Persons Mental Health Team which is in the Public Sector. I love my job but the bureaucratic demands and the incessant documentation can wear me down… I am looking at launching myself into this very specialised private practice in the near future but of course I am scared of the dramatic change in income…
You have of course bridged that gap with your wonderful web-business and nobody can duplicate that. Well done! keep up the good work!
Author
Thank you Manon!
Hi my name is Kelli Casto COTA CEO of Saving Our Seniors in FL. I recently started a non profit in the tampa bay for seniors that unable to afford Durable medical equipment. Could you add our information to your site. We would greatly appreciate it! We accept gently used items and we are unique in the way that we have no wait list and if the items are not in our inventory we will purchase up to $200.00
Hi Kelli – of course! I will add it to the dme post here: https://www.seniorsflourish.com/dme. It sounds like such a great and much needed non-profit, I wish we had something like this where I live. Best of luck on your endeavor!
Hi Mandy, It’s Mike from Instagram (The Woodworking OT). 🙂 Finally got around to visit your site and I commend you on this resourceful setup! Very inspiring work. Although I am currently in pediatrics, I will use this for self-education as I explore other settings and populations in the future and for my own personal life as well. Best of luck with everything to come at ya!! PS…..you will have a special delivery coming your way soon. Hope you like it!! Mike, MS, OTR/L
Awwwwe. Thanks Mike – you do good work. I am excited to see your final product!
Thanks for sharing your story and passion! Great site!
Author
Thank you Nina! 🙂
P.S. I call my grandpa Gramps too! I thought I was the only one, lol.
Author
Love it!
Hello Mandy, and welcome to the OT blogging/website world! I’m excited to see more people joining the online OT community (from outside the heavily-saturated realm of pediatric bloggers, lol) to provide an OT’s perspective and knowledge on an older adult population. I will be completing my second Level II FW in a retirement community next summer, so I’m excited to check in and take advantage of the great information you’ll be publishing. Best of luck with Seniors Flourish, and I hope to see your website flourishing as well!
Author
Thanks for the encouragement Lauren! OT’s work with this population all the time and I feel we really have a unique perspective and holistic, patient-centered approach that is under-represented in the “internet world!” Spread the word! I have had a few therapists ask to use this site as a reference for not only themselves, but for patients and their families…so share as you see fit! Thanks for joining me on this journey!