Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Education & Tips for Independent Living”
By Shannen Marie Coley, MS, OTR/L As established in our previous article on this topic, “5 Reasons to Play Fall Prevention Bingo in OT,” there are many reasons to incorporate both safety education and engaging fun into your occupational therapy treatment sessions with your adult patients of various stories, backgrounds, and abilities. Bingo is familiar to our adult patients and …
By Shannen Marie Coley, MS, OTR/L When you Google or Pinterest “nursing home activities” or “inpatient rehab games”, odds are that “playing bingo” will be on top of that list of activities – but how about Fall Prevention Bingo? So how can we, as occupational therapy practitioners, modify and adapt this cherished game to meet the multiple needs of our …
Neuroplasticity, strokes and occupational therapy go together like peanut butter and jelly. They all need each other to help maximize the outcomes and occupational performance of our patients (or in the case of the sandwich, just taste delicious ????). Crystal Cabrera MS OTR/L and Certified Stroke Rehab Specialist shares the research on how to step up our games as occupational …
I get asked all the time about how to perform a quick and easy occupational therapy screening to help decide if a referral is necessary for skilled occupational therapy services for adults. I gotcha! and wanted to share one of the educational videos on this topic from the Seniors Flourish Learning Lab titled “How to Perform an Occupational Therapy Screening,” as …
Have you ever had wanted explore to volunteering internationally using your occupational therapy skills? Ever dream of exploring cultures, helping others, meeting like minded professionals or promote occupational therapy in foreign countries? In this episode, Sarah Putt MA, OTR/L and I talk about how she uses volunteering internationally to sharpen her critical thinking skills, creativity, and giving back to the …
Bathing someone with Alzheimer’s, dementia or other cognitive impairment is one of the biggest complaints from caregivers. There is fighting, arguing, and frustration. There is worry about body odor, risk of infection and being in pain due to chaffing and soreness. Everyone that struggles with bathing goes through this. First thing to focus on is that you cannot change your …
As occupational therapy practitioners, sometimes making the recommendation for a wheelchair can be hard, especially for a person that doesn’t quite fit the norms of a standard seating and positioning. One of the questions that I get asked is “How do you know when to recommend a Broda Wheelchair over a Geriatric (“Geri”) Chair?” So I went right to the …
by Sarah Stromsdorfer MS, OTR/L of MyOTSpot.com If you’re thinking about becoming a traveling occupational therapist, there is a lot to be excited about! Getting to experience fun new locations every 3 months, trying out multiple new settings to expand your toolbox, and earning great pay are just a few of the awesome perks of being a travel OT. While …
by Erica Vitek MOT, OTR, BCB-PMD, PRPC, Bernadette Kosir OTR/L, CAPS & Julia Wood, MOT, OTR/L As three of the faculty for the LSVT BIG Training and Certification Course, we have had the incredible opportunity to learn from each other over the years. Although each of us has unique backgrounds and paths that led us to become Occupational Therapists, we …
Occupation Based Kits are a great way to integrate more real-to-life activities in your hospital or SNF facility when it can be a challenge to replicate these task in the typical healthcare environment . They can easily be graded up or down based on the patient’s cognition, sensory integration, social participation or physical ability. Just grab a container, throw in your …
