OTAN442: Blog 2

    Social determinants of health are factors of social and economic circumstances that individuals find themself in that affect their health in many different ways. These are made up of where you live, work, and how you choose to spend your time. These factors can be a result of life decisions or the individual can be born in to these factors from no fault of the individual at all. Social determinants of health can affect our nervous systems in many ways. The first one that comes to mind for me is how stress from living in certain conditions will cause heavy amount of cortisol to be released. High levels of cortisol can lead to numerous negative effects on the body.
    I think the requirements for professional development and service hours is very beneficial to students. It forces the students to get into a routine of seeking out opportunities to continue their learning and development as a practitioner. It also encourages students to give back to the community and help those in need.

OT430: blog 7

     It is important to make sure a client's assistive devices are fitting correctly. A practitioner should always make sure the assistive device is correctly fitted to ensure the safety and stability of the client. If the devices is not properly fitted to the client this could lead to further injury.
     In order to fit a client for a cane a client needs to look at a few things. The hand grip should be at the level of the ulnar styloid wrist crease, or greater trochanter of the femur. The elbow should have around 20°- 30° of flexion. The client should not have any shoulder elevation. A practitioner should assess and make sure the client has good stability since a cane is the least stable device that can be used.
     When fitting for axillary crutches the location of the hand grip should be the same as the cane. This would be at the level of the ulnar styloid wrist crease, or greater trochanter of the femur. The elbow should have close to the same amount of flexion around 20°- 30°.  The axillary rest should be 5 cm below the floor of the axilla and there should be no shoulder elevation in the client.
     Fitting for a Lofstrand crutch is very similar. The hand grip should be the same as the cane and axillary crutches. This would be at the level of the ulnar styloid wrist crease, or greater trochanter of the femur. The elbow should have close to the same amount of flexion around 20°- 30°.  The arm cuff should wrap around the proximal forearm.
     Platform walkers are much of the same. The same measurements as the other assistive devices should be used.
     A rolling walker should be measured to ensure proper weight distribution for the client. The same measurements for the crutches and cane should be taken. A rolling walker should be used for clients who struggle to pick up a standard walker.

OT430: Joe Harbor Transfers

The order for restoring confidence in mobility is as follows from first to last: bed mobility, mat transfer, wheelchair transfer, bed transfer, functional ambulation for ADL, toilet and tub transfer, car transfer, functional ambulation for community mobility, and community mobility and driving. For the most part the order is what I expected. I am not sure I could justify changing the order of any of these.  I think the hierarchy is in this sequence because professionals researched different orders and found this to be the most effective. I think each steps builds on the step before it in small increments and this is the logical sequence from the hospital bed to return to normal mobility. I observed most of this sequence in my limited time in a hospital inpatient facility.  The occupational and physical therapist worked together to make sure each patient was being properly assisted, trained on the proper techniques, provided with the appropriate equipment, and informed on the importance of mobility before being discharged. I agree with the this approach and feel it is the best possible order, however I think as therapist we should be willing and ready to adjust this hierarchy on a client to client basis cause not every client is the same. 

OT 430 blog: Posture

Proper body posture and body mechanics is extremely important for injury prevention and to promote safety. In someone who has bad posture and mechanics it is important to educated them on the proper way to sit and move so they can correct their posture before it leads to an injury. Lower back injuries are the most common work related injury and can be result of poor posture in a desk job or poor lifting mechanics in more physically demanding jobs.  Injuries resulting from poor posture and/or body mechanics can be very costly to the employers and the employees as well as leading to long term pain and loss of mobility. This can lead to employees having to take time off to recover which is not beneficial the employer or employee as well. As an occupational therapist you can show your client the proper way to lift heavy items while maintaining proper technique and limiting the stress placed on the back. A practitioner could also show the client alternative methods to lifting lighter items such as the golfer's lift. A therapist could also demonstrate the correct posture someone should sit in while at work and walk the client through the "slouch-overcorrect" technique so the client could do this in his/her work environment. 

OTAN 442 Blog 1

The first advertisement that comes to my mind is a billboard right off of downtown in my hometown of Corinth. This billboard, for as long as anyone I know can remember, has always been a Coca-Cola advertisement. In the winter it is a christmas advertisement with Santa holding a coke and in the summer it has some sort of advertisement trying to show how refreshing a coke would be in the summer heat. For those who do not know Corinth is a small town in northeast Mississippi. Corinth is home to one of only a few privately owned coca-cola plants left in the United States and the town treats it as kind of a big deal. We have an annual 10K race and a big museum on the over 100 year history of the plant. I believe this advertisement stands out to me because it is always consistent and takes me back in time. Everytime I go back and drive through my hometown it brings back all the memories from me growing up there. As far as the neurological aspects I am sure the limbic system plays a role in the emotional side of seeing the advertisement. All the good and bad memories from living in Corinth with friends and family. As well as the hippocampus storing all of the long term memories of the different styles of billboard that have been hung there for as long as I can remember.

OT442: Glutamate

OT425 Conceptual Model of OT

https://joeharbor11.wixsite.com/occupationaltherapy

OT:430 Caleb Harbor Blog 4

      A United States sailor finds himself in Jamaica on leave, where he runs into a weird man who makes him a strange bet.  The bet is the sailor can strike a lighter 10 straight times with a miss. If he wins he receives a car however if he loses he will have his left pinky finger cut off. The bet is stopped early by the wife of the strange man so the sailor does not lose his finger.
      If the sailor had lost the bet, there would of be some effects on his daily occupations. As a sailor in the navy he would more than likely have to handle a firearm. The loss of a pinky would affect the grip in which he would control the firearm. Another activity in which the loss of a pinky might affect a sailor is in the ability to tie knots because the loss of the pinky would affect grip strength. A modification for the sailor could be to use both hands when handling the firearm. Also the sailor could do hand exercises to increase hand strength and dexterity to help with tying knots aboard the ship.
     The wife of the man in the story would have problems with daily occupations such as typing or driving due to only having two fingers on one hand. In order to address the problems she may have due to the loss of fingers, she could use a smaller keyboard or adaptive keyboard in order to type easier. As well as using a steering wheel knob in order to control the wheel better with only one hand.

OT 425: implicit bias

Implicit bias is unintentional or unconsciously placing certain attributes both good or bad on an individual because of cultural or physical characteristics. It is important for OT students and practitioners to self-evaluate for possible bias they may unknowingly have. Everyone has life experiences that shape their worldview in different ways rather that be the area of the world they grow up in, family they are born into, religious affiliations, or personal interactions. These factors affect the way we may see a race, religion, or social class. OT students and practitioners are supposed to be non partial and unbiased when evaluating and treating clients. OT students and practitioners should treat every client with the same dignity and respect in the hopes of providing the best possible care, not allowing for bias to alter their behavior. There are few things you could do in order to examine your own bias. One thing is taking a survey or test, like the Project Implicit, to see if there are any possible bias you may have. A second thing someone could do is ask others around them, who they trust to be honest with them, if they see them showing any signs of possible bias. Thirdly someone could have open conversations with people of other races, religions, and cultures to help inform them on ways they may feel others show bias. Finally, I would add just treat others the way God would want you to treat them. My biggest take away from this session on implicit bias was I do not think most people are intentionally behaving in biased ways, however they are just blinded or uninformed. I think most implicit bias could be eliminated if people would just take a step back and think before acting in certain situations and just remember the golden rule, treating others the way you would want to be treated.

OT430: scapulohumeral rhythm

Scapulohumeral rhythm is defined as ratio of movement between the scapula and humerus. This ratio is for every three degrees of movement the scapulothoracic joint accounts for one degree and the glenohumeral joint accounts for two degrees. It is important that this ratio be maintained for full 180 degrees of motion. It is important to consider this ratio when a client does not have full ROM in order to find out which joint may be responsible for the lack of movement. Improper function in either joint could result in a decrease in ROM, an impingement, or pain. A lack of full scapulohumeral rhythm can point to signs of defects or problems with muscles that move the scapula such as trapezius and serratus anterior or issues with the humeral head rotating laterally.

OT430: Blog 2 MMT

It is important to use bony landmarks and proper positioning when measuring ROM in a client so that the data collected is both as accurate as possible and in order for the measurements and process to easily be replicated by another clinical professional resulting in the same or very similar results. The "test position" is used to help place the client in the best possible position to both optimize muscle strength and help reduce the possible compensation from either activating another muscle group or twisting/bending to increase ROM or strength. The purpose of placing a client in to a gravity eliminating position would be if the client does not have the strength to move against gravity or if the client had contraindications calling for the movement to be done in a resistance free position.