A possible emerging area of practice that I could see myself pursuing in the future would be that of Aging in Place and Home Modifications. I feel that this is a major area on the rise due to the massive population of baby boomers growing older and older every day. With that happening as well as the new shift towards the elderly being as active and involved as ever in society the field of aging in place and home modifications seems like a must. This new style of life for the elderly includes them wanting to live at home as long as possible instead of moving to a nursing home or assisted living facility. However, for that to be an option multiple home modifications are going to be needed. The goals of aging in place are to enhance the quality of life for older adults in their home environment, allow them to participate in valued activities, and ensure that people who plan to stay in their homes as they age make the necessary modifications to do so. I believe that the future of this emerging area of practice will be very important as well as successful for the field of occupational therapy.
For this post I decided to discuss just what a therapeutic relationship is and what it entails. A therapeutic relationship is defined as the interaction between an occupational therapist practitioner and their client. Therapeutic relationships differ from everyday relationships, in that they are key in facilitating the healing and rehabilitation process. They also differ from the typical relationship in that it's not about both people but strictly about the client and meeting their needs. Developing and sustaining therapeutic relationships involves the ability to develop trust, demonstrate empathy, understand verbal and nonverbal communication, and the use of active listening. Trust is one of the most important aspects in any type of relationship to me. Once trust is obtained the client feels more comfortable with sharing personal information which in turn greatly benefits the intervention process. Developing empathy is another huge part of this process, the client must believe tha...
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