BARS: Easy Tool to Assess for Agitation in Patients for Occupational Therapy

Introduction One way to communicate to other staff a patient’s level of agitation for occupational therapy such as in psychiatric settings like locked units is with an objective scale. A scale like the Behavioral Activity Rating Scale (BARS) can be used to measure agitation and also to help reduce defensive behaviors from staff, which can … Read more

Wheelchair Safety Fall and Injury Prevention Interventions | Occupational Therapy

Millions of Americans rely on wheelchairs for mobility and function after a physical disability. Studies have shown that serious wheelchair-related accidents can result in fractures, concussions, dislocations, amputations, and spinal cord injuries. It is estimated that an average of over 36,559 wheelchair-related accidents occur that require medical attention. While any single part of the body … Read more

Dementia and Wandering | Occupational Therapy Interventions & Evidence-Informed Practice Guidelines

Motivation for this article I recently saw some social media posts from OTs on managing wandering or those who are a ‘flight risk’ with dementia. They offer some great ideas such as environmental barriers to prevent wandering outside the home – that sounds good at least in theory. Modern approaches may even incorporate smart home … Read more

An Occupational Therapist’s Honest Opinion on the Snoo Bassinet (With Some Research) – Response to Another Occupational Therapist’s Opinion

An unbiased occupational therapist’s perspective.  The Snoo: Get it or Not? I like to do deep dives into my topics and always try to include some research from the literature. “From 2012 to 2014, CPSC received reports of 284 deaths among children younger than age five associated with, but not necessarily caused by, nursery products. … Read more