OT 640 Debriefing Video

Groups: Peer-reviewed Journal Article

For this assignment, I read an article called "Meaning of Occupation-Based Groups for Low-Income Urban Youths Attending After-School Care." Outcomes of this study were to describe the meaning of occupational therapy groups focusing specifically on occupational engagement, group process, and
social-emotional learning specifically looking at low income youth attending after school care. The purpose of this study was to look at the population of youth in low income areas to promote finding pleasure in the "right things to do", structured leisure participation. The group administers made sure that the group was fun in engaging leisure activities within a supportive social context. The youth participating valued being able to have a choice for the different leisure activities within the group setting. Providing client-centered occupations gave the youth choice and creativity resulting in engagement and motivation from the participants. Finding leisure activities that interests youth and children promotes participation and engagement among group members. Because this was a group centered around support, the participants valued expression of feelings as well as coping strategies for anger emotions. 
I think this article was informative because it backs up the foundation of OT saying that being client-centered results in better occupational performance. Because this was a phenomenological qualitative study, the results looked at interview and observations to find themes within the research. I think this is important to be able to identify client's emotions and experience toward the occupational therapy group intervention geared toward age appropriate leisure activities.  In conclusion, when children were offered fun and engaging occupations, occupational balance was facilitated. I think this is important to take with me into practice to always keep in mind that interventions should be based on the client's wants and needs to promote motivation and occupational performance throughout treatment.




Bazyk, S., & Bazyk, J. (2009). Meaning of occupation-based groups for low-income urban youths attending after-school care. American Journal Of Occupational Therapy, 63(1), 69-80.

12 Step Meeting Attendance

I attended Alcoholics Anonymous on February 21 at Second Calvary Episcopal Church with Rachel Scarbrough. Upon arriving, we were greeted by a man making coffee. There ended up being four men that attended the group. One man left after introducing himself. Another one came in late. One didn't speak, and the other got up after sharing his story. Honestly, this AA was very disappointing. It didn't possess any of the qualities that we learned about in class. Not only was the leader hard to understand, but the first fifteen minutes he inappropriately told stories of different relatives overdosing. During his stories, he smiled and laughed throughout making Rachel and I feel uncomfortable and not sure how to react. I do not know what to categorize his role as a facilitator. He did pass out the AA preamble as well as ask someone to read the 12 steps and Daily Reflection. I guess I would say he was a facilitator, but was not very hands on. He did not encourage participants. He possibly even discouraged his group members. He told story after story until one of the group members got very irritated and said, "What's today's topic? Let's get started." The leader reacted by handing him the book that included the Daily Reflection (that we had already read). The man reread the Daily Reflection, gave his testimony, then left the group. Before leaving, he wrote Rachel and I a note that said, "There are better run meetings than this check out the AA meeting schedule online... I suggest Come to Believe on Walnut Grove/union or Two Doors Down on Quince."

I think that this environment impacted this session greatly. Since the session was at noon, I think that is a hard time for people to make the meeting if they work full time. Also, for this location, we had to pay $6 to park which I think would turn people away from coming. This church was very busy with numerous events going on. If you were a person that did not want other people to know you were attending AA, this was not a good place to go. The church was very crowded and the room that AA was hosted in was in the middle of church. There weren't any signs, so the room was hard to find resulting in us having to ask someone where to go for AA, which could be embarrassing for some. In my opinion, this group was not therapeutic at all. It was poorly ran overall, and had no real content. It makes me sad because if someone was searching for help and this is the first AA meeting they attended, they would probably never come back. I would categorize this group as a self-management group because the group members we expected to be self-sustaining in attending, sharing, and following the 12- Steps.

Leadership Summit

The other day a few classmates and I met with Lauren Laborde and Whitney to talk about our upcoming Group Facilitation's. Although we all had different life skills topics, it was still helpful to be able to get their feedback on my upcoming group. Lauren chose Cognitive Behavioral Approach for her group facilitation. When we met, I was conflicted between choosing Cognitive Behavioral and Developmental FoR. Still, I think I could have chosen either approach, however, it was interesting to get her feedback on why she chose that approach. Knowing that other classmates were prepping to facilitate the same day as me put me at ease. Since, we had a test the day prior, we were concerned it would effect our facilitation's, but I think planning for today's group in advance allowed us all to relax a little bit after the test! We brainstormed on activities each of us could use on all of our different groups. I was impressed by my classmates creativity. I enjoyed meeting with my classmates and hearing their creativity. We also shared Pinterest boards that have been helpful throughout school. For me, this meeting was valuable because I got to get my peers perspective on my group protocol. In the future, I think we should meet with peers before we lead a group to gain insight from classmates and facilitate an optimal therapy group session.

Post Group Facilitation Reflection #2

On February 21, I led a group called "Communication that 'Works". I followed my written plan closely and managed to go slightly over the time that I had expected. I began the group by introducing myself, welcoming everyone back, and stating today's topic During today's group, my goal was to facilitate positive communication skills to promote occupational performance in the workplace as well as identify different communication styles and how to relate with people with different styles than you. Upon hearing that my group would be held in the Gross Motor Lab, I was nervous at first since it was something different, but decided to plan to get there an hour early to properly set up my group setting. I was fortunate that another class did not have the time slot an hour before me. To begin our warm-up activity, members of the group partnered up and one person was blindfolded.  Next, they took turns guiding each other through an obstacle course only using visual cues. It was interesting to see/hear the different tactics group members used to guide their partners. Whether someone describe a step as a "scootch", big step/little step, right/left, or "follow my voice" each pair was different and unique displaying their different communication styles. After each person had a chance to lead their partner through the obstacle, everyone shared their personal experience with the warm-up actvity. Since the obstacle course was for grad students, I graded the activity up by putting hurtles to step over as well playing an extremely annoying youtube video called "office noise" as distractions.
After everyone shared, everyone took a communication style self-assessment that related them to a type of bird. Since this was a quiz centered around communication style in the work place, many stated they would have been different 'birds' had this been communication in their personal lives. It was interesting to hear everyone share their strengths and weaknesses. I was so excited that everyone shared personal experiences. They all have had employer encounters in the past all centered around communication. If I led this group again in this same context, I think it would be interesting to take this quiz twice. The first one the same as today (work centered), but the second one around their personal communication style to compare how they communicate differently in different contexts (maybe change my FoR to PEOP for that group).
After leading my first group, I am very pleased with how it went. Everyone in the group participated throughout, as well as had ways to relate making it an easy flowing group. I didn't end up having to ask some of my generalizing and application reflection questions because the conversations progressed into a lot of my topics. I am glad I got to class extra early to arrange the obstacle course as well as create a table with the raised mats for everyone to sit at so that it felt more organized. I am also glad I reminded everyone to keep safety in mind when completing the obstacle course, so no one got hurt. However, I think I  should have explained the obstacle course activity better before sending everyone into the hall with their blindfold (explain start/finish places). I think I displayed appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication when group members shared personal experiences. I enjoyed leading today's group and look forward to other opportunities like this in the future!

Post-Group Facilitation Reflection #1

On February 12, Lauren Leiser and I led a group called "Pursuing Positivity". We followed our written plan closely and managed to stay on time with our outlined timeline. We began our group by introducing ourselves and stating the topic of the group. During our group, we wanted to facilitate group members positive attitudes toward themselves to identify ways to cope with negative thoughts. Our goal was to provide an engaging activity that encouraged social interaction and feelings of positive personal outlook. Group members were able to provide positive attributes of one another to promote self-esteem of. When sharing everyone's responses in the warm up activity, I think the most important part was to listen to each group member as they dug a little deeper than usual to talk about their emotions. I thought it was interesting how similar many of the group members responses were (i.e. being unorganized made them sad, or their dogs, family, friends made them happy). When sharing the building self-esteem/flower exercise, I think it was important to encourage everyone to share the compliments they received from the other group members in order to facilitate positive interactions and self worth.
After co-leading my first group, I think it was a little harder than I expected. Usually, everyone in our group is more than happy to participate, but there was a lot going on today resulting in everyone being a little less focused. I learned that you always need to be prepared to share and give personal examples of things we are talking about in group in case I were to have a group that is less open to sharing.
I think that our overall group plan was well thought out and organized. In our introduction, we had a great warm up activity that went over really well, however, we did not give an overall time frame/structure of the group. For our activity, we planned out all supplies needed and had it ready for group members upon arrival to provide an appropriate environment. Upon starting the activity, everyone seemed to have easily understood the directions. Throughout the activity, each member was asked or volunteered to share multiple times. I think Lauren and I both displayed appropriate verbal and nonverbal responses as well empathized when appropriate. For processing, I think members appropriately elicited feelings about one another in completing the 'building a flower' activity, but just briefly touched on their overall experience at the end. I think I could have done a better job at tying in the activity with topic of the group. Throughout our entire group, we were constantly referring to the similarity in group member's responses as well as encouraging real life scenarios in discussion. We talked about why we liked being positive, but I think we should have included more backbone to our group. For instance, talking about the physiological effects of being happy vs. sad. Like I stated previously, our group was a little more distracted today than usual, but I think Lauren and I did a good job of encouraging everyone to participate and stay on task. Because everyone did not talk as much today, we did not have to put a limit on anyone sharing in group. We related the group's experience to everyday's life and were able to relate to real life experiences of different group members. I enjoyed leading the group and look forward to implementing my next one!

EBP Midterm

Learning outcome: Conduct a literature search.

Which of the following is a not benefit of completing a literature review?

a.     Decreases credibility by looking at more than one source

b.     Identify gaps in the research

c.      Familiarize yourself with up to date literature on this particular topic

d.     See if a similar study has been done

Neuro Note 5

For my final neuro note, I decided to watch a TedTalk called, “Protecting the brain against concussion” by Kim Gorgens. This is a talk regarding how to better protect our brain against concussions and other head related injuries. Kim Gorgens, a neuropsychologist, gives an informative speech about the significance that brain injuries are occurring in children and teens and makes the argument of the importance of protecting our brains particularly in the use of helmets. Although we cannot always protect our family members from brain trauma, it is important to be aware of brain injuries and take preventative steps. Gorgens states that parents should study up on the signs and symptoms of concussions, speak up to legislative and couches about preventative head wear, and to suit up to prevent a brain injury. In this talk, she says, “The only way to prevent a bad outcome is to prevent the first injury from happening.” To me, that was a very powerful statement that I think should be reinforced more in child rearing. After learning about the different ABIs and the harsh possibilities of coma outcomes, I have been really interested in brain injury and development, which led me to pick this TedTalk for my last neuro note. I think Kim Gorgens shares great points in this video in emphasizing the importance of helmets. We can truly never be careful enough in regards to the safety of our brain. About 4 million kids under the age of 14 are concussed per year and that is only one’s seen in the Emergency Department. It is a common misconception that a concussion refers to the lack of consciousness, however, the definition of a concussion is the change of consciousness which includes feeling foggy, dizzy, ear ringing, or even just a change in a person’s attitude. After listening to this TedTalk, it makes me think more about the safety in kids playing contact sports. I think an advanced protocol needs to be put in place to determine if a child should be able to go back onto the field after a head blow. I think this would prevent brain injuries and side effects later in life. Gorgens also talks about how the proposed law for all people under the age of 18 should wear a helmet when cycling was recently rejected. To me, this is baffling and makes me think that the average person may not have a clear understanding of just how detrimental a head injury could be to person’s life and their future. I think, as OTs spreading awareness about preventative head injuries is important for our scope of practice.

https://www.ted.com/talks/kim_gorgens_protecting_the_brain_against_concussion

Media Project- Virtual

 

Dementia Case Study

Pat Summitt was diagnosed with early onset dementia at age 59. Her symptoms included becoming very forgetful, losing car keys, calling out the wrong terms in basketball games, and wearing inappropriate outwear (ex. shorts when it was snowing). Pat's functioning level soon decreased resulting in her referral to occupational therapy. OT goals include increasing the client's ability to function independently and caregiver education. Pat's occupations include coaching, writing, and playing basketball. Her roles include being a mother, coach, author, spokeswoman. Pat Summitt passed away just 5 years after being diagnosed.  She is most known for coaching the University of Tennessee Lady Vols for 38 seasons with 1,098 wins.

Neuro Note 4

Today, I decided to write my neuro note on a TedTalk called, “Tourette Does the Talking: Thomas White”. This is a talk given by a senior at the University of Notre Dame, Thomas White, whom has Tourette’s syndrome. He speaks about his daily challenges with fighting this neurological battle. This syndrome plays a major role in his daily routines and encounters with other people.  I chose to watch this video because of the little I know about this neurological disorder. Before watching this video, my knowledge of Tourette’s syndrome was very limited. However, now I know that it is a syndrome that is a result from a chemical imbalance in the brain that inhibits involuntary motor or vocal tics. Although the majority of the talk is about Thomas White’s daily struggles, one of the main points he states is that we should all celebrate the beauty of life, not matter what our troubles are. He goes on to talk about that we all have problems, but we’re all in the same boat and can triumph our own “plagues” together. At the point that we all realize this, we can focus on hope and action of who we are and what we can become. He ends his talk with, “We should all embrace the life we live and each word is a celebration and has hope.” To me, this video was so inspiring and really got me thinking about how can occupational therapy be used to help people with Tourette’s syndrome manage their occupations and daily routines. After further research, I have learned that the OT service would vary depending on the individual’s severity and kind of TS. Many OTs work with individuals that are diagnosed with TS using a sensory approach. Some OTs go into further training to learn techniques in CBIT, or Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0szLOMIt9SQ

https://www.tourette.org/blogs/research-medical/benefits-occupational-therapy-tourette/

MD Case Study

Jonah Marlin was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy when he was 5 years old when his symptoms became more apparent. DMD is a hereditary disease caused by a defective protein making gene. This is the most common type of MD and occurs primarily is males. Because his parents knew  what to look for, his brother was diagnosed at age 2. Jonah is now 13 and lives with his parents. He is in a wheelchair all day and relies on his parents for all of his ADLs. Jonah has seen OT previously that gave him goals to help with ADLs and social interaction.

Case Study: Trey Gray

Trey Gray was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease in 2003 when he was 32 years old. He became a national spokesperson for Huntington's disease in 2008 and created the Trey Gray fund at Vanderbilt. Since HD is a degenerative disease, OT would focus on his muscle cognition and muscle memory skills to prolong his occupation of drumming. He has symptoms of fatigue, weakness, memory, and mood swings in his early stages. A long term goal for Trey would be to make a daily schedule to better organize his day and keep track of his daily tasks that need to be completed.

Neuro Note 3: Muhammad Ali

When I was looking at some of the options to do my neuro note on, I saw a People Magazine article, "Muhammad Ali's Eldest Daughter Shares Memories of Her Dad and Hope for Those with Parkinson's: 'Attitude Is Everything'". After already learning about Parkinson's Disease, I was excited to read more into the legendary Muhammad Ali's case specifically. I knew that he had PD, but had no idea about his type of care or factors that played into his health status, which is why I chose to write a blog on this topic specifically. This article about Muhammad was given from the perspective of his oldest daughter, Maryum Ali. 

Mayryum, or May May, gave an insightful view of caring for a loved one with Parkinson's. She speaks about how much being engaged in activities that make you happy is important for someone with this disease. She also talks about how attitude strongly affects the patient along with the patient's knowledge of his or her disease.

 After reading her article, I thought to myself, "Patients with PD could really benefit from OT!" OT's could provide this meaningful activities to their clients that in return help give them give positive attitudes. I also thought about the OT's role in educating the client, as well as the caregiver about the disease and what to expect through the different stages of PD. May May stated, "Once my father began to understand the disease and the family did as well, everyone was happier." To me, this just solidifies everything we talked about in class as far needing to inform the caregiver and client. I went to the National Parkinsons Foundation's page and read an article, "Special Challenges of Caring for Someone with PD" to further my curiosity. This site talked about being realistic with the client and caregiver, and I think that is exactly what May Mary and the rest of the Ali family would have appreciated knowing early on.

 http://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/caring-for-someone-with-parkinsons/special-challenges-of-caring-for-someone-with-parkinsons

http://people.com/celebrity/muhammad-alis-eldest-daughter-maryum-shares-memories/

Foundations Debrief

As our Foundation course comes to an end, we spent our last class reflecting on what we liked and things we would change in this course. I appreciate that because as a student, it is nice to know that the faculty takes our opinions into consideration when looking at next year's coursework. As a personal reflection of this course, I would say my biggest take away was having a better understanding of the profession of occupational therapy as a whole. I know that no matter what setting I am in that I will use a client-centered, occupation-centered, EBP, and cultural practice approach. I think I sometimes even say the definition in my sleep.  I also have a better perception of the different populations, environments, and setting that involve OTs. My parents are constantly asking me where and who I want to work with in upon graduation, but I can never give them an answer because I am always learning about new and different settings for OTs! Furthermore, I have a better understanding of the basics of OT from learning and studying the OTPF, OT Process, and the Code of Ethics, which I know will help me daily in the 'real world'. I have enjoyed this class and look forward to learning more about OT in other classes and upcoming fieldworks.

Myasthenia Gravis

Kristen Graham had her first Ocular Myasthenia Gravis outbreak when she was 11 years old. After a few years the disease spread to other parts of her body, and is now considered General Myasthenia Gravis. Stress is the primary trigger for her outbreak, so OT would help Kristen balance her lifestyle by making a weekly schedule, conserving energy, and practicing relaxation techniques. 

Emerging Practice: Adults with Autism

When I saw “Adults with Autism” as an emerging practice in occupational therapy, I knew this is what I wanted to write my next blog post on.  People with autism are supported with OT services until they turn 22 within the school system according to the Individuals with Disabilities Act. However, after that they are on their own. Children with autism get older everyday, and have to make the decision of what to do after high school. Adults with autism need to have more opportunities for occupational therapy in community services.  As OTs, we need to have more integration programs from high school into the real world. This could include a wide variety of programs including potentially helping them find a job.

https://www.aota.org/Practice/Rehabilitation-Disability/Emerging-Niche/Autism.aspx

ALS Case Study

Ulla-Carin was a Sweden news anchor whom was diagnosed with ALS at age 49. Her roles and occupations included being a mother, wife, friend, journalist, and athlete. Although she died within a year of being diagnosed, she remained mentally coherent throughout her life with ALS. Fortunately her home was completely renovated and was able to stay at home. The OTs primary goal was energy conservation, so that the client could conserve as much energy as possible throughout the day. She was also able to get an assistive technology device that tracked her nose movement for communication.

Fletcher Cleaves

After hearing Fletcher Cleaves story last week, I have thought a lot about his story and his overall outlook on life. He told us how his doctor was discouraging and how everyone doubted him and his ability to recover, and for me, this was frustrating.  As a future health profession, I think it is so important for us to motivate our clients, so that in the rehabilitation process they will be encouraged to their best. Even though Fletcher had an accident that completely altered his life, he has such a positive outlook on life. For him to have come out of this recovery process, and decided to share his story to others is inspiring. He ended his speech with this statement; “Don’t tell your clients to reach for the stars when there’s footprints on the moon.” I think I will always remember that statement and I am so thankful he came and spoke to our class.

Emerging Area of Practice in OT

In America today, nearly 1 in 3 teens and children are obese or overweight. Since obesity leads to many health issues, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, health professions have been led to try to decrease obesity rates. With that being said, in 2011 AOTA identified childhood obesity as an emerging practice for occupational therapy. When a child is obese, it hinders them to participate in their daily occupations. When limiting a child's occupations, their overall health and well-being is affected. Obesity affects occupational performance, and so it important for OTs to make goals for children with obesity to get more active. In order for the goal to be client-centered, the OT first needs to see what kind of interests the client has in becoming active, whether it being playing at recess or joining a sports team.
I think this new emerging practice correlates appropriately with AOTA's Vision 2025. In order to maximize health, well-being, and quality of life for all people, we need to look at specific health problems that can be partially prevented. I know that obesity often runs in families, but that is something we need to educate the public about. As OTs, we should provide more community activity programs and education about physical fitness and healthy diets.

https://www.aota.org/Practice/Health-Wellness/Emerging-Niche/Obesity.aspx