In occupational therapy we define two ways to use occupations: 1. As the end point and 2. As the means. We use them as an end point that we're aiming for in intervention. This can include occupations that are a part of one's normal roles, help to organize a persons time, help a person participate in life and society, and help someone feel they have a purpose and meaning for their life. We use occupation as a means to improve someones impaired abilities as well. We do this through introducing occupation as interventions to help someone improve after an injury or illness. This can lead to enabling occupational functioning as well as choosing occupations that interest the client while still having therapeutic value. We want this to be challenging while still enabling success. By approaching the intervention process with these factors in mind we are able to develop relationships, reach goals, and provide the best possible outcomes for our clients and their loved ones. By doing this I believe we also stand firm in our professions philosophical base which is to emphasize health and involves body, mind, and spirit in total integration!
For my first Neuro-Note I decided to watch the documentary Transfatty Lives and boy was it eye-opening. The documentary is about a 30 year old man named Patrick O’Brien, who has just been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This film did an incredible job portraying every single aspect of what living with ALS is actually like. Before his diagnosis Patrick was a DJ in New York City, an internet personality, as well as a filmmaker. From what it seemed Patrick was the life of the party just about wherever he went. He was in the process of shooting a film when he was diagnosed with ALS and decided to turn the cameras to portray what his life would become. This film truly made me think about how I would handle or approach coming to terms with something like ALS. I do know that there is no way I would be able to remain as happy and as upbeat as Patrick did, nor could I continue to make everyone around me continue to smile the way he did. His story was so inspirational, not...
Comments
Post a Comment